Place Called Home
by Kroissant
Summary: After a traumatic incident, Ashe found himself lost and orphaned. All he ever wanted was to find a place where he belonged, a family to call his own, his home. This is the story of a cowardly lion who searched aimlessly to find a place in the world, unaware that this whole time, it was right in front of him all along. ***COMPLETE***
1. Denial

**Hello, this is Kroissant!**

**So, this has been a recurring dream of mine lately and I thought it'd be best to write it down. This is quite similar to what I've done in the past (ex: Father and Son) but to those who are new, prepare to read and weep. My previous fanfic, Happy Grace, was all sunshine and rainbows. This one is quite heavy with depictions of violence and requires a lot of tissues.**

**In the previous fanfic I've written, I've hinted who would be the next one I'll be writing. And as implied from the summary, it's our precious cinnamon roll, Ashe from the House of the Blue Lions!**

**Everything you would be reading from then on is heavily incorporated from every information of the gameplay and from my personal depictions of the characters.**

**Once again, I would like to dedicate this fanfiction to letters-from-the-three-houses, bae-leth, and withlove-so from tumblr to thank them for inspiring me once again for the many headcanons of Ashe and the interactions among the Blue Lions. In addition to this, I would also like to express my gratitude for the author-WillowBlueJay17 for 'Since Sticks were Swords' as my main inspiration and fellow supporter for the Blue Lions! (keep up the good work, sweetie!)**

**That's all for now!**

**Have a happy reading!**

**(Warning: graphic violence, display of profanity)**

* * *

**CHAPTER I – DENIAL**

Everything felt shallow, worthless.

Empty.

Collapsing on his bed, the scrawny silver-haired boy closed his eyes shut, gritting his teeth as his hands unconsciously shaped into clenched fists.

Earlier this morning, he and the other members of the Blue Lions were assigned to eliminate a large rebellion not too far away from Garreg Mach Monastery, and under the direct orders of the Church of Seiros, they became the chosen House to quell the uprising. What was supposed to be a peaceful intervention immediately transitioned to one of conflict—and to make matters worse, the one leading the charge was Lord Lonato, his adopted father.

Reopening his eyes, Ashe sprang upright, hastily bringing his hands close to his chest as he struggled to breathe, flinching every now and then as he struggled to ward off the horrid experience which he pushed away in the back of his mind. The disgusting taste of metal was growing pungent, scaring him to the core.

Quickly, Ashe shook his head, groaning loudly as he demanded the painful memories to recede.

No matter how much he fought to regain his control, his memories reigned supreme and before he knew it, was instantly whisked away back to the battlefield—reliving the very same trauma for the umpteenth time…

* * *

Everywhere Ashe looked, there was no escape.

Many deaths of soldiers and commoners from both sides, the ear-piercing shrieks and cries intermingling with the sharp clashes of metal against metal, and the brash galloping of the valiant horses only to be shortly disposed of or incinerated by fire magic from a long distance.

At that moment, Ashe's mind went blank.

He loosened his grip on the nock as he lowered his bow a little downward, using his other hand to nurse his throbbing headache. Tears spilled freely down his rosy cheeks as he attempted to register what was occurring and yet couldn't seem to care less of what happened to him.

And then he heard it—a scream.

Eyes widening, the poor boy slowly turned his head to the direction of the voice. He watched as his adopted father, Lord Lonato, staggered backward, gasping helplessly as his hand desperately clutched on the fresh wound embedding on his armored chest. The moment he saw a glimpse of crimson red, Ashe fought his fatigue and without thinking, dashed toward him with the battlefield becoming nothing more than a blur to him.

Ashe pressed forward, though stumbled halfway as he nearly got trampled by a passing horse. He blinked, quite surprised and motioned his head, sighing in relief as he discovered his good friend Dedue who suddenly appeared in his field of vision, pushing him back as he shielded them from the enemy's attack.

"Ashe, run!" His friend cried, thrusting his lance high to counter. "GET OUT OF HERE!"

Unfortunately, the boy didn't listen nor responded as his eyes were trained in on his father who could barely stand on his own two feet. Wasting no time, Ashe ran faster with all his might, chewing harshly on his bottom lip. He forced his legs to keep moving, ignoring the burning sensation coursing through his skin as he chose to dismiss the warning shouts from Dedue as he was left alone to deal with more soldiers coming his way.

Ashe was almost there, dashing as fast as he could, gasping loudly as he managed to get closer. He watched as Lord Lonato sank to his knees, heaving breathlessly as he forced himself to lift his chin. His eyes slightly widened upon recognizing his son, though recovered back to a certain degree. Locking eyes with the approaching archer, all he could do was muster a sorrowful smile.

"I'm sorry," He mouthed, and held his head high, closing his eyes to the world that he knew.

More tears flowed down as Ashe stopped midway in his tracks, reaching out his hand in desperation. He opened his mouth to say something, anything…but what did escape from his throat was minor hiccupping. "Father…" He wanted to say aloud, "Father, please! Stay with me!"

As Ashe forcedly opened his mouth to speak, it was already too late.

A sword sliced across his neck, perfectly decapitating the elderly man.

Ashe stopped breathing as he found himself growing dizzy and falling to the ground as he helplessly watched his father's head roll freely across the earth, the lustrous glow of his kind eyes slowly waning, along with a trickle of blood oozing from his mouth.

Everything around him was oppressively silent, swallowing his scream as he pounded his fists on the ground in distraught. Slowly, Ashe began to feel a bit light-headed, his vision becoming hazy and his face perspiring. Forced himself to gather what was left of his energy, Ashe raised his head to take a moment to look at the perpetrator dead in the eye.

His heart broke into pieces the second he discovered their identity.

He couldn't believe it.

"No…"

From the corner of his eye, he took notice of their sword—which was roughly yanked away from the dead body of his beloved father, a sword made primarily of dragon bones with its silver tongue constantly dripping with freshly coated blood—a dead giveaway to the identity of the perpetrator.

* * *

_Knock!_

_Knock!_

Reverting back to reality, Ashe flinched from his spot. He quickly glanced around the area and when it became clear to him that he was inside his own room, he released a sigh, long and heavy.

"It was just a dream…"

Once again, he heard a series of knocking.

"…Ashe?" A soft, melodious voice came from the outside, "It's me, Annette. May I come in?"

He turned to the direction of where the voice was coming from and upon sighting the door creaking half-way open, revealing the short, orange-haired girl, he flashed her a friendly grin. He gave her an eager nod, ushering her to come inside. "Thanks for dropping by,"

Annette mirrored his smile as she proceeded to enter the room, carefully holding tight onto the silver tray which she held with both her hands. "I saw that you left the Mess Hall in a hurry," She began, placing the tray on the nearby coffee table and seating herself on the empty space next to him. "Thanks to Raphael, who was in charge of preparing the food, I was able to get an extra portion of creamed chowder, a second batch of peach pudding and some oranges,"

Ashe glimpsed at the silver tray where there was an abundance of servings displayed for him to marvel, which also included a small, ceramic empty teacup and a teapot. The corners of his lips produced a tiny grin as a warm sensation overwhelmed him. "Thanks a bunch, Annette,"

The short girl beamed. "Anytime!" She replied, followed by a light giggle. "I recommend you eat right now or it's going to get cold,"

Ashe sheepishly grinned, "I know," He never realized how famished he was, but as he leaned forward to reach for a silver utensil, he stopped.

"Ashe?"

He recoiled back, scratching the back of his neck as he flashed her a sheepish grin. "Maybe I'll eat later…"

Annette tilted her head in confusion. "Everything okay?"

When she didn't receive a response, she puffed her cheeks. She proceeded to call out his name, startling him.

Ashe blinked, quickly whirling his head to face her again. "Oh, umm…yes?"

Annette rolled her eyes. "Come on, Ashe!" She pouted, playfully nudging him on the shoulder. "You can tell me anything,"

All the boy could do was shake his head in dismay, allowing another smile to spread across his lips.

Ever since he attended the Monastery, and entered the Blue Lions, it was Annette who was quick to befriend him—taking the title as his first friend; it was thanks to her and her amicable nature, he was able to bond and grow close with the other members, especially with the diligent retainer, Dedue, and the flirtatious Sylvain, whom he both took up the roles as his best friends and big brother figures.

Aside from her friendship with Mercedes, Annette always made sure to spend her free time with him, and over time, the two of them became inseparable, their dynamic as close to siblings and becoming renowned to create mayhem wherever they go.

No doubt there was a strong sense of trust between them, and he knew that if there was anything that bothered him or if he simply wanted someone to listen to his troubles, Annette was definitely the first candidate on the list.

And yet, for some reason, something was holding him back.

If he were to tell her what he truly felt, what would she say?

Lowering his gaze, Ashe squirmed in his seat as he fiddled with his fingers. He might as well try and see for himself…

Annette silently observed him, planting her hand on his shoulder blade comfortingly. "I'm listening,"

Ashe snuck a glance at her, inhaled a deep breath and finally spoke up, his voice remaining soft, "I don't feel safe as I used to,"

"What do you mean?" Annette pressed on, narrowing her eyes.

Clearing his throat, Ashe continued with, "You, Mercedes, Sylvain, Dedue and the rest of the Blue Lions," Ashe began, pausing every now and then as he fumbled over his words. "All of you are a part of a greater circle—from noble and royal descent. Mercedes may be a commoner, but she's always going to have that aristocratic background, you know? And Dedue…he's loyal to Lord Dimitri, and has taken the title as his retainer…" He hung his head, his eyes downcast as he uttered the next few words, "And then there's me, a dirty commoner…with nothing else but a name and the clothes on his back,"

Listening to his words, Annette opened her mouth to protest but got interrupted by Ashe as he went on with his rambling.

He looked down at his hands, fixing his lips into a straight line. "I had something, or someone—Lord Lonato, my adopted father…and if it wasn't for him, I wouldn't be where I am now, with you and everyone,"

A memory resurfaced from the back of his mind, of him in his youthful years, together with his late father as they both admired the view of Garreg Mach Monastery, and recalling how later that night, he vowed to his father that he would do whatever he can to get accepted into the prestigious Officer's Academy. He remembered the late night studying, training, and making an effort to simply do his best and when the day arrived—of him receiving the official letter of acceptance, he remembered how much he screamed out the window as he jumped for joy, to the point of how he managed to get one of his neighbors to curse at him.

Even so, none of their responses matter except for one—and he would never forget the sheer excitement he had when he presented the letter to him, how Lord Lonato glowed like the sun and tackled him into a tight embrace when he read the news. That following day, the two of them returned to the same spot and admired the Monastery from a far distance, and once again, Ashe made a personal promise to himself—that he'd do whatever he can to study diligently, become one of the top students, graduate with flying colors and in time, shower his father with the various accomplishments he did on his own—going headfirst into the battlefield and saving the lives of the innocent, his name being heard far and wide…

Such a dream was impossible, and yet, Ashe knew that he could do it. Making his father pleased, see him smile as he proudly called him, 'my son'—that was all that mattered to him.

But the universe had other plans in store—and before he could blink, it had already happened. The raid came and took his father away from him, shattering his dream like it was nothing.

Tears flowed down his cheeks as the emotions became too much for him to handle.

Seeing this, Annette released her hand from his shoulder to place them on top of his, squeezing them fiercely. Though her presence alone somewhat helped him calmed down, it didn't seem to subside the unspeakable rage sprouting inside of him.

"He was everything to me…" Ashe murmured, stopping halfway to wipe away the tears from his red, puffy eyes with the back of his arm. "He was…the person who I wanted to be, my role model, my father…all I wanted was to repay his kindness but…" He drew in a sharp breath, clenching and unclenching his fists on his lap, "But now, he's gone…and he's never coming back,"

Finally, he turned to face his friend who stared back at him with a contorted expression. "I got into the Blue Lions because of Lord Lonato, and now that he's not here, I just…" He hiccupped. "I don't think I can stay any longer with everyone here…I had everything when I had Lord Lonato, and now, I have nothing…" Shaking his head, he emitted a forceful laugh, an empty laugh. "And if you keep me with you all, who knows what might happen to the House's reputation…"

"Ashe, don't think like that!" Annette consoled him, "We could never abandon you! No matter what anyone says, the Blue Lions will always accept you! Mercie, Ingrid, Sylvain, Dedue, 'Prickly Felix', Lord Dimitri and even Professor Byleth— "

At the mention of their instructor's name, Ashe felt his heart beginning to ache.

"I…"

The memory of his late father, along with a tall, dark shadow wielding a blade made out of dragon bone resurfaced, causing him to quake violently. Swiping his hand away from hers, he wrapped his arms around himself, his eyes gradually lengthening in size as a cold chill ran down his spine.

"Ashe? Are you alright?" Annette exclaimed, but he ignored her.

The poor boy's face was perspiring; he was looking pale and weak…

"Ashe, can you hear me?"

Ashe was alone, all by himself in the darkness and there was no escape. Despite sitting close to each other, he failed to listen to his friend's worried cries, oblivious to her distinctly, wounded expression.

"Ashe, say something!"

Slowly, the boy turned his head and to his horror, dear sweet Annette was immediately replaced by the unwelcoming appearance of his Lord Lonato's murderer—of Byleth who stared back at him with a malicious smirk, and with the whip of her left arm, raised her respective weapon until the sharp point was dangerously close to his shaky throat.

He blinked his eyes multiple times, completely distraught.

In a split second, there was Annette and then Professor Byleth, then Annette, then Byleth, and the cycle repeated. Clenching his sweaty hands together, he secretly prayed to himself, hoping—no, yearning for his friend's radiant face to materialize and comfort him just like before. But his wishes couldn't be reached, and all he could do was watch helplessly as orange collided against dark green in a grotesque-like conflict, fighting to regain his control. And as expected, the darker color dominated, crushing the last bit of hope he had left and swallowed him whole.

"ASHE!"

Byleth and her influence were growing…with her hand gripped on the pommel of her sword, was ready to finish him off with a final blow. Panting heavily, and his heart pounding thunderously, Ashe quickly got up on his feet.

As expected, the shadow of Byleth rose as well, triggering him to panic.

"STAY AWAY!" He exclaimed, frantically throwing his arms in front of her. "STOP!" And he shoved her with all his might, unknowingly pushing her toward the direction of the coffee table.

There was a high-pitched scream, followed by a thundering crash, an echoing thump and glass breaking. Once the silence settled, an eerie ringing sound resonated. Ashe gasped for air, retreating backward until he felt the wall behind him, his ears still covered by his hands. He stared down at the mess he had caused, the shadow of Byleth long disappeared…and in its place, was…

"What have I done?"

The door burst open, revealing four of his housemates.

"What happened here?" Sylvain exclaimed as he quickly entered inside.

Another voice chimed, belonging to Ingrid. "Are the two of you alright?"

Mercedes was the next to arrive and as she walked in to voice out her concern, her eyes were immediately drawn to the mess on the other side of the room. She gasped aloud as she was quick to identify the small, unconscious figure lying on the ground, covered with piping, hot chowder, pudding, and tiny pieces of ceramic shards.

"ANN!" And dashed forward, along with Sylvain who was quick to assist her as they brushed away the debris surrounding her.

Mercedes sobbed as she carefully held her best friend's head close to her shoulder, cradling her as to how a mother would do to her child. She closed her eyes and began chanting a few words lowly under her breath, summoning a large white circle inscribed of ancient formula encircled around her and her best friend—it was a healing circle.

Another crisis erupted, this time in a form of Felix.

The moment he entered the scene, his ears picked up Mercede's sobbing, and as he turned to look at her direction, was startled to discover her healing an unconscious Annette who she gently rocked back and forth, with Sylvain carefully harvesting the remaining ceramic shards across her legs, revealing a trickle of blood flowing down to the carpeted flooring. Felix turned to his right, noticed his childhood friend, Ingrid who was currently trying to console with a guilt-struck Ashe.

Blood boiling, Felix rushed forward to hold of the boy's collar, despite Ingrid's protests to put him down and pinned him harshly against the wall. "THE FUCK'S WRONG WITH YOU?" He lashed out, "ARE YOU TRYING TO KILL US? IS THAT WHAT YOU WANT?"

"Felix, stop!" Ingrid cried from behind, tugging him forcedly back with all the strength she could muster. "Don't hurt him!"

Alas, her words couldn't reach him as his temper blew out of proportion.

Ashe gasped for breath, sobbing uncontrollably as he attempted to crawl his way from the swordsman's death grip on his collar, but to no avail.

Fitch pitched his eyebrows together, shaping his hand into a clenched fist but before he could deliver a blow on the latter, a strong force held him back, breaking his hold on Ashe who fell on the ground and coughed brashly.

"Get…off me!" Felix exclaimed, thrashing about as Dedue managed to hold him back, with Ingrid rushing to assist the poor boy.

"Ashe, are you okay?" Ingrid asked him worriedly as she searched for any fresh wounds on him.

Ashe didn't answer as he slowly raised his head a little higher, taking in the devastation around him. An unconscious Annette, a weeping Mercedes, a fuming Felix, with Dedue, Sylvain and Ingrid trying to fix everything back to the way it was before.

His shoulders sagged, the heavy load inside his chest was painful, and the tears that he wiped off were beginning to return.

"It's all my fault…" He managed to say, soft and surprised.

The clanking sound of armor and approaching footsteps drew their attention, causing every single person to go on high-alert (excluding Felix who was determined to give Ashe a piece of his mind) and to turn their attention to the door.

"Dimitri!"

"Milord!"

Ashe shifted his focus to the entrance, cowering in fear as he watched their house leader, Lord Dimitri strolled inside in silence, his expression etched with concern as he carefully inspected the cluttered mess and the presence of his housemates within the room. His eyes lingered on Mercedes who continuously wept as she attempted to heal Annette, overhearing one of his childhood friends, Sylvain who came over to the older woman, offering to take the poor girl to the infirmary room, then to his other childhood best friend who struggled to match the sheer strength of Dedue, until finally landing on Ingrid who comforted the shaking, silver-haired boy.

Without a word, Dimitri walked toward them and crouching to his knees, offered him a hand. "Are you alright, Ashe?"

Ashe blinked once, then twice. He lowered his head, chewing on his bottom lip. "I-I didn't mean to hurt Annette…" He muttered, loud enough for him to hear, his voice cracking as he hiccupped. "She was trying to help me and…"

Dimitri gave him a soft smile. "Come on, get up," He said gently to him, surprising the others.

Ashe sniffed, glanced at the hand for a moment before finally nodding, accepting it graciously. With the help of Dimitri and Ingrid, the boy was lifted from the ground and was patted on the back in assurance. He whirled his head to glance at his unconscious friend, his vision becoming glossy. He opened his mouth, only to find out that he had lost his voice.

"She'll be okay," Sylvain assured him, joining them with Mercedes trailing behind. Nestled in his arms was their unconscious friend, who was relieved of the ceramic shards, with a few gashes and scars adorning her face, arms, and hands.

Ashe's bottom lip quivered, sniffling as he proceeded to wipe away the flowing tears.

While Dimitri went on to lecture Felix who was still riled up and held back by his retainer, another voice erupted—and this time, Ashe stood frozen still.

"I heard noises from outside. Is everyone okay?"

From the shadows spawning across the carpeted flooring, Ashe was quick to notice the outline of the oversized jacket, the heels of boots, and then the sword made of dragon bones…

All of a sudden, he couldn't breathe properly. His heart hammered, nausea clawing at his throat. He needed to get out of here. Now.

"Ashe? Are you okay?" Ingrid expressed worriedly.

His face, white and dripping with sweat and tears, he clenched his teeth. Releasing himself from her hold, he sped out from the room, nearly pushing Byleth out of his way who stood close to the door before rushing off into the great halls.

"ASHE!"

"COME BACK!"

Ashe disregarded the unanimous cries and shouts of his housemates and Professor who kept calling out his name and pleading him to come back—none of them reached him as he kept sprinting, far away and from their sight.

* * *

**Thank you for reading the first chapter!**

**This was heavily inspired by Ashe's background which happened to involve his adopted father, Lord Lonato (not confirmed if he's dead in the actual game but this is my own interpretation of it) and as for his death, it was inspired by Game of Thrones.**

**As mentioned before, the next chapter would be updated shortly tomorrow.**

**Please leave any kudos/comments if you'd like!**  
**Thank you so much for reading and have a wonderful day!**


	2. Anger

**...Okay, I couldn't contain my excitement so I'm thinking about posting the next chapter (and maybe upload a third one if I'm pretty ambitious).**

**Thank you so much for your overwhelming support/kudos! and I'm very glad to hear that there are so many people out there who are fans of three houses! (it also provides me with more confidence and strength to keep writing, so thank you!)**

**That's all for now!**

**Enjoy reading!**

* * *

News of the incident spread like wildfire.

Professor Hanneman and Madam Manuela were quick to get themselves involved, enabling the other two houses—the Black Eagles and Golden Deer, to join in on the search. Shortly after dropping off Annette in the infirmary with Madam Manuela, with Mercedes who was persistent to remain by her best friend's side and Marianne who volunteered to tend the poor girl's wounds, the rest of the Blue Lions—Lord Dimitri, Felix, Dedue, Sylvain, and Ingrid made an effort to locate Ashe, splitting up in pairs, combined with the other members of the Black Eagles and Golden Deer as they scoured throughout the Monastery.

While the majority went their way to explore the entire building—the various classrooms, the Church, the Mess Hall, the school gardens, training grounds to the point of interrogating the academic and clerical staff members, with some suggesting that the missing boy must've escaped the academy in secret, greatly heightening the issue tenfold.

* * *

Within the depths of the school library, specifically on the third floor, there's an alcove located on the far, left side of the spacious room—an idealistic hiding place for the extreme introverts. Claude wandered alone, whistling to himself as he angled his body the other way. Upon discovering the small alcove, he wasted no time and slightly bent down to his knees, leaning in. A smile reached the tip of his ears.

"Who do we have here?"

"L-Lord Claude!" Ashe squeaked, recoiling further in the alcove.

The dark-skinned man snickered. "Just Claude's fine," He points out, with a dismissive wave. "And relax, I'm not here to hurt you," Jerking his chin downward, he asked, "Can I sit?"

Ashe quickly nodded, shuffling a bit to give him extra space.

Claude beamed. "Thanks," Plopping himself on the ground, he stretched his long legs out from the alcove, throwing back his head as he sighed, long and heavy. "Sweet place you've got here," He motioned his head to glance at the young boy sitting next to him and took notice of his disheartened expression. "What's with the long face?"

No response.

"It's…Ashe, right?"

When he gained a nod of confirmation, he grinned. "You know, a lot of people are out there looking for you," He began, yawning loudly. "And don't worry, I'm not gonna bring you in unless you feel ready, or if you wanna just talk, then let's talk, 'kay?" He snuck a peek back at the boy, a bit surprised to find him trembling as he quickly wiped something from his face. "You alright, buddy?"

"Y-yeah…"

His voice wobbled and Claude noticed it, diverting his full attention on the boy next to him.

"I-I didn't mean to hurt her…" Ashe whimpered, sniffing.

"You mean that Annette girl?"

Ashe meekly bobbed his head.

Claude emitted an exasperated sigh. "Your housemates claimed that it was just an accident, so they're not angry at you," Crossing his legs together, he looked back at the boy. "Why don't you tell me what's going on? What's bothering you?" He asked, getting straight to the point. "If it's too personal, you don't have to say it," His voice was too cheerful, bright—greatly reminding Ashe of a certain friend of his.

Somehow, his encouraging words was enough to get him to confess.

"It's a long story…" Ashe warned him.

Claude laughed. "Good thing we've got all the time in the world, right?"

And so, for the next fifteen minutes, Ashe exposed everything he bottled in—the raid which he and the other members of the Blue Lions successfully completed, only to realize that they were the ones responsible for the death of the rebellion's leader, who turned out to be his father, Lord Lonato, and how lost he suddenly became after experiencing a great loss…he spoke out about his insecurities among the Blue Lions, how it came to his attention that he could no longer find himself fitting in due to his broken connection with his father, who happened to be the main reason for him attending the Officer's Academy in the first place. And as stupid as it may seem, Ashe felt out of place the more he stayed with the Blue Lions—all of it came out, bursting like a waterfall, and slowly but surely, Ashe found himself returning to his usual self.

Deep down, he loved his friends in the Blue Lions, perceiving them as a second family to him. As much as he wanted to be with them, something else was holding him back.

The images of the perpetrator, the one who killed his father in front of him…the person who took in the role as their instructor lost all the respect that he had of them. Then again, only time would tell if his broken heart was mended.

In the meantime, he couldn't see himself attending the same classes with the others, refusing to look at Professor Byleth in the eye…because if he did, who knows what would happen then—another scene, another incident, and pretty soon, another person dear to him was likely to get hurt.

When his mouth was finally dry and there were no more words left for him to say, Ashe hung his head and buried it inside his arms as a moment of silence settled between them.

Claude sat quietly, his eyebrows pinched together as he ruminated through his thoughts. "So, are you planning to sit here and cry again?"

"…I don't know," Ashe sniffed, followed by another hiccup. "But what I do know, is that I can't keep crying," Inhaling a deep breath, he craned his head to fix his attention on the dark-skinned man and continued, "There's this thing…a policy in the Blue Lions—to uphold an example for the students, to not show any signs of weaknesses,"

He closed his eyes for a few brief seconds as he remembered his first day of school and how shortly after his recruitment in the Blue Lions, he and the other members were welcomed with Lord Dimitri's moving speech: **"We must stay strong and endure, to be as brave as a lion should,"** He recited, word after word. **"We are the knights to protect those who cannot fend for themselves, the shield for every soul, to become the new hope in kingdom come,"**

Claude whistled. "Typical Dimitri, always trying to upscale me," He brought up, chuckling. "All we've got is in my house is: '**Deer in plain sight? Whelp, let's fight!'**

Ashe shook his head, and before he knew it, started chuckling to himself.

Claude saw this right away and smirked. "Would you look at that? I made you laugh!" He cried aloud, joining him. Thrusting his arm high above his head, he exclaimed, "One point for Golden Deer, zero for Blue Lions~"

Once their laughter ceased, Claude spoke up, "You know, it's okay to cry at my House. We've got the wackiest, weirdest, abnormal people you've ever seen in there, and you know why?'

Ashe quirked an eyebrow, curious.

Claude cocked his head to the side, grinning brightly as he delivered the next following words, "It's because none of us give a damn about our public image or the opinions of the students who may see us differently. And we like different—whatever shape or form. That's just how we roll, you know?" He leaned back, smiling. "You've only got one life in this world. Better do whatever you wanna do before it's all gone—that's my life quote right there,"

Ashe blinked, "…Your life quote?"

Quickly turning his head, Claude looked at the boy as if he grew two heads. "Wait, you don't have one?"

Ashe frowned, took a moment to think it over before shrugging. "Not really,"

Claude's eyes widened, followed by a dramatic gasp, "Man, you've got guts of steel! I wouldn't know what to do if I don't have one," A pause. "Hey, Ashe?"

"…Yeah?"

"How long do you intend to get lost?"

Hearing this, Ashe blinked, quite startled by his question.

He glanced at Claude, who stared back at him with a surprisingly solemn expression.

"I…" Ashe looked at his hands in defeat, then shaped them into clenched fists. "I'm tired of being lost," He raised his voice, his eyes burning with vigor. "I wanna be found!"

Claude smirked. "That's what I'd like to hear," And crawled out from the hidden alcove, getting back up on his feet. "Hey, you coming?" He asked, reaching his hand out for the latter to take.

Ashe hesitated, chewing his lower lip.

"You've got this, Ashe," Claude assured him, chuckling. "May your arrow fly straight and your aim be true, or if that's how it works,"

Ashe grinned, accepting his hand. "I'm sure it is," And as he crawled out from the alcove, with the support from Claude, managed to get back up.

"Come on, let's take you back, 'kay?'

Ashe mustered a tiny smile, which prompted Claude to laugh boisterously and slap him across the back, startling him. "Hey, lighten up!" And walked on ahead. He was already a few steps in, smiling as he heard the other's footsteps from behind, though paused midway in his tracks to turn around and look back. "By the way, a word of advice—I recommend you don't trust me,"

This caught Ashe off-guard. "…How come?'

Claude shrugged his shoulders, "Just saying it out there," Twirling his heel, he walked onward.

Ashe forced his legs to keep moving in hopes to chase after him. Once he was able to measure up with the other's pacing, Claude was quick to snake his arm over his shoulder, bringing him close.

The boy smiled earnestly, feeling warming inside as the empty void gradually dissipated.

Once they left the library, it was already nightfall.

And yet, Claude insisted he'll escort him back to the boy's dormitory. Ashe quickly dismissed this, choosing to head to the infirmary to make sure that his friend was alright.

Luckily, Claude was quick to be persuaded and was more than eager to bring him to his desired destination. They strolled through the great halls in sync, happily chatting on whatever popped into their heads and as they neared the infirmary, they were surprised to hear a large noise coming from inside.

Exchanging quick looks, Ashe and Claude scampered inside—and as they drew close to the large entrance, they were met with overwhelming shouts and cries…but it wasn't for them.

"You need to rest, Annette!" Mercedes chided her best friend who attempted to get out of the bed. Surrounding her were the other members of the Blue Lions, Marianne from the Golden Deer, and a few others in the background. From the looks of it, Madam Manuela went off to check on the other patients to give him some space, though would often have to stop what she was doing and yell at them to keep their voices down.

"You don't understand!" Annette exclaimed, catching their attention. "I need to make sure Ashe is alright!"

"Stop moving, damn it!" Felix countered back, practically pushing her back to the mattress, only to get scolded right then and there by Sylvain and Ingrid, with Lord Dimitri shaking his head in dismay from how his childhood friends were behaving with each other.

Refusing to back down, Annette attempted to stand up one more time, her head turning to the direction of the entrance. Her eyes twinkled with delight.

"Ashe!"

Ashe flinched as every single person, including Madam Manuela who looked out from one of the curtains, as they shifted their full attention on him. He flashed a sheepish grin, performing a friendly wave. "Umm…hello,"

On cue, the members of the Blue Lions, including Annette as she got assisted by Mercedes, rushed toward him, and unsurprisingly, threw countless questions on the spot.

"Where were you?"

"We've been looking all over for you!"

"Are you okay now?"

"Are you hurt?"

Ashe took a step back as he forced a grin, completely overwhelmed and uncomfortable by how dangerously close they were.

Luckily, Claude was there to save the day. "Woah, guys!" He cried, coming to the rescue. "Give the boy some space!"

Eventually, the Blue Lions adhered his words and provided him enough space, causing Ashe to finally exhale a sigh of relief. "Thanks, Claude,"

The dark-skinned man looked back, giving him a playful wink.

Catching sight of this, Dimitri shoot him a glare. Stepping in, he cleared his throat to get their attention. "I'm glad to see you're not hurt," He expressed openly, directing his statement to the young boy wearing a blank expression. "Is everything alright now? Were you able to resolve what you've been struggling with?"

Ashe opened his mouth, his voice was soft. "…I think so," Thinking it over, he quickly shook his head as he answered with confidence, "Absolutely,"

Dimitri smiled. "That's good to hear," He turned to glance at Claude and bowed his head graciously, "Thank you for finding him,"

Claude laughed. "No worries here," He exclaimed, "The good news is that the family's back together again, right?" He set his hands on his hips and sighed heavily. "Just the way it should be,"

Ashe pursed his lips, thinking it over. While Dimitri and Claude conversed with one another, he took the opportunity to look around the infirmary, taking notice of Professor Byleth who stood from a distance, idly watching him with a fixed gaze. Her eyes held no spite toward him.

As for Ashe, he felt nothing but the cold.

Clenching his fists, Ashe marched forward, his eyes trained in on her and nobody else.

His friends, including Dimitri and Claude, keenly observed the young boy as he came up to the new instructor.

"Ashe," Byleth spoke up, her velvet voice bearing a resemblance to one of a mother. "I'm glad to have you back," And took the first step to close the distance separating them, her arms opening wide to envelop him in an embrace…but Ashe took a step back, surprising her and everyone else.

She looked up to face him, her expression stung with pain. "Ashe?"

Ashe gulped, refusing to back down as he felt his throat beginning to close up. He couldn't find himself to forgive her, not now at least. He knew that what he was about to say would be the best solution possible—even if it meant hurting her and his friends, he hoped that they could see that there was no other choice. To protect them, he needed to leave them.

Once more, Ashe looked straight at death and when he found his voice, was quick to call out her name. "Professor Byleth," He exclaimed, loud enough for every person inside the infirmary to hear. "I've decided…**to transfer to the Golden Deer,"**

Byleth's eyes widened, and it wasn't just her—every single member of the Blue Lions, even Madam Manuela, Marianne and a few others lingering around whom bore witnesses to his sudden declaration couldn't believe what they were listening to.

"And the plot thickens…" Claude commented, prompting Dimitri to elbow him harshly on the chest.

An awkward silence followed in, with whispers and soft murmurings spawning in every direction imaginable which came from the mass of the spectators, their eyes aiming at the young boy. The members of the Blue Lions looked on, their expressions mixed with shock and disappointment.

And yet, their opinions didn't seem to matter to the boy who ultimately decided his fate.

Ashe felt his anger rising as he stared at the bewildered face of his Professor, who looked back at him with concern.

From there, the Blue Lions slowly went downhill.

* * *

**Thank you for reading the second chapter!**

**I'm sure by now you guys probably have questions about this - and to give you a hint in what's in store, the third chapter would provide you with those answers. Also, be wary of the chapter titles. They are important!**

**And man, I never knew how much it is to write Claude! (he's personality really helped, making it easy for his dialogue to flow!) Maybe I'll write about him in the future? Well, let's see~**

**As mentioned before, the next chapter would be updated shortly tomorrow!**

**Please leave any kudos/comments if you'd like!**  
**Thank you so much for reading and have a wonderful day!**


	3. Bargaining

**Hello, everyone! Thank you all for waiting, and for your overwhelming support!**

**Here is the updated chapter, as promised! In regards to the next chapter, I would need more time to polish and expand a few things (it's heavy with battle, in case you all are wondering) which means I'll be updating the next chapter on Thursday/Friday.**

**For this chapter, I recommend listening to 'My Wish' by Rascal Flatts (lyrics are good insights of the current situation-for this particular song, beautifully captures the Blue Lions and their 'message' for Ashe as he leaves them)**

**That's all for now!**

**Enjoy reading!**

* * *

For the next two days, Ashe was excused from attending his classes to pack up his belongings and whatnot.

Unsurprisingly, there wasn't much for him to pack up—there were his extra school clothes, a few casualwear he purchased before coming to board in the school, a journal to write down his thoughts and the daily activities he'd done, a quill pen given to him by Annette and Mercedes when he'd forgotten to bring something to write at the start of midterms week (a minor price for the late night studying he did in the library), his prized collection of action figures (he saved his allowance and bought them together with Sylvain), the abundance of letters he stashed inside his pillowcase—the same ones he'd written to his late father before his untimely demise, the few batches of snacks he and Annette collected from the Mess Hall and secretly stored inside one of the shelves, and of course, the case which held his respective weapon, his bow and arrows.

Packing them inside of the small box resting on top of his bed, Ashe took a step back and sighed. "What else?" He wondered aloud, looking around the already empty room.

As he turned to his right, his eyes softened upon sighting the two small picture frames resting on his bedside table. He reached out to take the first picture, which depicted a teenage version of him and his late father, Lord Lonato—his hand resting on the latter's shoulder as they both smiled earnestly for the camera in broad daylight.

"Almost forgot about you, Father," He said softly, chuckling lightly. He then refocused his gaze on the second picture, which depicted him and his seven friends in their school uniforms, forming the House of Blue Lions.

He couldn't help but smile as he pointed out the details of the image—as the shortest male in the class, he was sandwiched between Annette and Mercedes, who seemed to be hugging him in reassurance and smiling brightly. Behind them were Lord Dimitri, Sylvain and Felix and from the way how they were positioned, seemed like they were attempting to strive cool poses on camera, with Ingrid and Dedue standing on opposite sides from each other, with one covering her mouth to suppress a giggle, and the other crossing his arms and looking at the troublesome trio with a faint smile.

If he could recall, they were all freshmen at the time; with him and Annette barely sixteen-years-old while the rest were in their peak of seventeen—excluding Mercedes who already reached her nineteenth birthday and was quickly honored with the title of 'Mom'—a title she proudly took to heart.

His eyes lingered on the picture frozen in time, secretly wishing to re-experience such an innocent moment. And then he saw her.

Though it seemed like a pure coincidence, he noticed Professor Byleth's blurry figure, almost as eerie as the marble statues in the gardens where she was located in and was accompanied by the orange-brown hue, who he instantly recognized to be Jeralt, her father.

This made him a little irritated.

Shaking his head, Ashe strolled back to the box and carefully inserted the two picture frames inside. Ever so carefully, he took the box into his arms and wasting no time, strode out the door. As he stepped out, he turned back and looked at the emptiness.

Bed, two tables, a carpet flooring, hangers for weapons, a wardrobe and finally, an azure blue banner depicting a lion—a proud symbol of his previous House. "Goodbye," He mouthed, and closed the door with the heel of his boot.

He stood at the closed door in front of him with a blank look. Collecting himself, he pressed onward. As he kept walking, he noticed a familiar group of students lounging in the garden, near the fountain. Smiling bitterly, he went over to them. "Hey, guys," He greeted, gaining their attention.

Annette and Mercedes were the first to approach him, sharing contorted expressions.

"We're going to miss you terribly," The older woman muttered, wrapping her arms around him and holding him close. "Be sure to visit us during your free time," Though his hands were full, Ashe tipped his head and closed his eyes, relishing her warmth and smiling in content. Breaking away, Mercedes leaned in to peck him on the forehead, causing his cheeks to redden. "If you ever need anything, we're always here," Taking a step back, she allowed Annette to take her turn.

Ashe took notice of the scar marked on the shell of her right ear and another below her left eye, and though they were faint barely noticeable, it still pained him to know that he was the one responsible for them. He opened his mouth to apologize again, but was caught off-guard when she leaped straight for him, surprising him with a hug that tightly caused him to fall over.

"It was never your fault, so don't apologize," She whispered in his ear, her voice cracking. "Oh, Ashe…" She sniffled, tightening her hold on him. "I'm going to miss you so much,"

Ashe's eyes softened. "Same here," And tilted his head to nuzzle his cheek against hers.

Annette was the first to break away, forcing a smile on her face as she added, "Let's keep hanging out, even outside of class," She raised her hand, lifting her pinky finger. "I don't want the Troublemakers to disband quite yet,"

Registering her words, Ashe burst into a fit of laughter. Aside from being sweet and friendly, she was truly the perfect partner-in-crime when it comes to conducting random shenanigans. "Yeah," And brought his pinky forward, twisting them together—a promise sealed and unbinding.

Next came Sylvain and Ingrid who each pulled him in for a quick hug.

"I'll drop by every now and then to make sure you're doing okay," Sylvain explained, grinning. "Can't find a better wingman besides you,"

Ashe rolled his eyes, shaking his head. "Whatever you say," Withdrawing his hand from under the box, he proceeded to bump fists together with the redhead.

Unable to contain his excitement, Sylvain was quick to playfully ruffle his silver hair, causing the latter to laugh boisterously.

"Sylvain, come on, it's my turn now with him," Ingrid came in, interrupting their moment. She watched as her childhood friend gave her an apologetic look before wandering off, sighing heavily. "Oh, I wish you could be here to help me tame those idiots," She groaned, referring to her three childhood friends who were animatedly discussing to themselves. "Be sure to come back if you have some time. I could use the extra hand,"

Ashe grinned cheekily, "Will do,"

Ingrid bowed her head graciously, though was quick to sneak a kiss on his cheek before joining the other girls sitting on the bench.

Then, there was Dedue.

Ashe mustered a smile. "Hey there, big guy,"

Dedue nodded in greeting, "I won't say goodbye," He declared, his voice strong and even and yet, embedded in his eyes was pain and sorrow. "I know you'll still be attending the Academy with us…but we'll be losing a valuable member,"

The boy forced a grin, peered up to face the large man and said, "I'll see you during free time, maybe help you plant herbs in the garden during the weekends,"

Dedue nodded again, this time with a tiny smile materializing across his lips. "I'm looking forward to that,"

Once Dedue dismissed himself, Ashe suddenly tensed up the second he saw Felix came in with his arms crossed and staring down at him. In response, he offered the latter a friendly smile and said, "I'm sorry for causing you trouble. I know that you didn't mean to and…"

Something warm was placed on top of his head, startling him. Ashe looked up, baffled to discover the swordsman giving him a faint smile.

"I should be the one apologizing," He expressed, his voice a bit too soft. "I hope you know how strong you are,"

Ashe blinked, but before he could speak his thoughts, Felix had already released his hold on him and strode off, leaving him as if their conversation had never happened. Even so, he couldn't help but smile to himself.

Finally, there was Dimitri.

"Lord Dimitri," Ashe began, bowing his head. "Thank you for allowing me to attend your House,"

The blonde-haired noble crinkled his lips to produce a kind smile. "You should know that I select only the finest students," He explained, retaining his gentle expression. "Keep that in mind," And quite similar to Felix, Dimitri patted the young boy fondly on the head, then placed his hand on his shoulder blade and squeezed it. "I wish you good luck,"

"Thank you," Ashe replied back, nodding firmly. "And you too, as well, milord,"

Dimitri widened his smile, though it was quick to dissipate when he noticed Claude approaching them with the other members of the Golden Deer. Removing his hand from Ashe's head, he proceeded to stroll toward his rival and bowed his head. Seconds later, the rest of the Blue Lions followed his action. "Take care of Ashe for us," Dimitri declared, with his head held high. "You've got a promising student joining you. Be sure to take good care of him,"

Claude snickered. "We will," He confirmed, crossing his fingers on the upper left part of his chest. Stepping forward, he was quick to seize the box that Ashe was currently holding and once more, rested his arm along the boy's shoulder. "Let's show you to your new home,"

All of a sudden, Ashe found himself getting pulled by Hilda and Raphael, who were quick to initiate a conversation with him, happily chatting up a storm as they escorted their new recruit to their classroom.

Peering over his shoulder, Ashe watched as the friends he was leaving behind smiled and waved at his general direction as he departed into the unknown.

Behind them stood the lone figure of Professor Byleth and as they locked eyes with each other, Ashe was surprised to see her nod her head firmly, along with the company of a smile, as if encouraging him to keep moving without her.

Suddenly, the anger inside him ebbed away as tears were beginning to leak from his eyes. Realizing this, he quickly shook his head and as he redirected his focus back on his Professor, he nodded back to her in acknowledgment before entering his new classroom, the House of Golden Deer.

To his relief, the classroom depicted a similar-looking environment as the Blue Lions, with the exception of the banners which were colorfully dyed in yellow.

"There you are, boy!"

Ashe swiftly turned toward the direction of the voice, smiling as it belonged to none other than Professor Hanneman. The members quickly dispersed, though Claude stood close to him still holding tight of his possessions as he headed for the front desk of his new instructor.

Once he approached it, Ashe withdrew the folded paper he kept inside the pocket of his pants and presented it to the elderly man.

Professor Hanneman humbly accepted it, muttering a soft "thank you" as he unfurled the paper to reveal the official letter of transfer. "Yes, yes…the signatures are all right here…" With a smile, he lowered the paper away from his face as he bobbed his head. "Ashe Duran, yes?"

The boy nodded, unable to wipe off the smile from his face. "That's right,"

Professor Hanneman emitted a chuckle. "Good to hear," And stretched his hand outward. "Congratulations! You've successfully transferred!" He announced, causing the other members to give a big round of applause. **"Welcome to the lair of the Golden Deer,"**

* * *

A week and a half passed since then.

To his surprise and relief, Ashe quickly got along with the other members of the Golden Deer (becoming a study partner for Hilda and a younger brother figure to Leonie, accidentally becoming Lorenz's wingman when he pointed out one of his flaws when attempting to approach other women, and even Marianne who happened to be adopted into a noble family and from there, they became fast friends), and bonding even more closer with their leader, Claude, who he earnestly looked up to as a role model and big brotherly figure.

Almost everywhere he went, there seemed to be at least one member, usually Raphael or Ignatz who became his close accomplices, to tag along and participate in whatever activity he got involved with—whether it was his turn to be in charge of the food preparations in the Mess Hall, training archery in the training grounds, watering the plants in the greenhouse, or simply hiding inside the secret alcove and study on his own—never once did he find himself alone.

It took a while for him to get used to everything and settle in, and thanks to the encouragement and support of Claude, Professor Hanneman, and the other members—he easily adapted, as if this was where he was meant to be all along.

Truth be told, Claude was definitely right about the House—every single member was different in their own ways, and yet for some reason, they oddly fit together: a band of commoners and nobility who chose to respect one another, fight together.

But as promised, Ashe would also take the time to hang out with his old friends—Annette, Sylvain, Dedue, Mercedes, and so forth. Balancing studies and training was one thing, but the fact that he was able to befriend both the members of the Blue Lions and Golden Deer became an accomplishment he was proud of. His grudge on Professor Byleth, though he still refused to forgive her for killing his late father, he was able to gradually mend the bond between them, taking the time to drop by in her office during his free time and get to know her better, to try and at least understand her mindset…and maybe, if he was a little braver, to finally accept his loss, let go and move on.

Being with the Golden Deer always seemed to put him in high-spirits, happier even.

As the school year progressed, Ashe was bombarded with startling news.

A few days after he was taken in by the Golden Deer, Professor Byleth announced of an incoming student who would be joining the Blue Lions…lo and behold, this turned out to be none other than the extreme introvert, Bernadetta from the Black Eagles.

In the following week, Ashe heard of another student being transferred to the Black Eagles who was revealed to be Leonie from the Golden Deer to compensate for the loss of a great combatant. That same week, the Golden Deer was oppressively silent, the members jotting down notes and listening quietly to their instructor instead of the usual loud ramblings, high participation, and the calling out of the answers during a lecture.

And then it got Ashe thinking, his mind flooding in with memories of the old.

His friends from the Blue Lions…was this what it felt like for them when he transferred to another house? He pondered over such a thought, but was quickly reminded of their new recruit, Bernadetta…and once again, found himself contemplating the situation.

They got a new student with them, surely they wouldn't feel upset about his parting, right?

Though it's true that he was beginning to spend more time with the ones from the Golden Deer, in the end, changes were bound to be inevitable.

"It's…better this way," Ashe said softly, too quiet for others to hear him. He stared idly at the ink-filled paper etched on the journal he was currently writing on. "They don't need me anymore," As he delivered those words, he inhaled a deep breath. "Who would want a cowardly lion like me?"

With that said, he closed the chapter—the one he had written exclusively about the Blue Lions, and moved on to the next page, a cleaner and fresh one.

"Time to move on,"

And as he diligently wrote about his new friends from the Golden Deer, his mind wandered off—back to the old times when he and the members of the Blue Lions used to have practice drills in the courtyard, organize picnics on warm, sunny afternoons and just simply being around them, the first people besides Lord Lonato to take him in as their own…

* * *

The second semester moved in, and little by little, the missions were becoming severe.

Among those missions, the House of the Blue Lions was hit with plentiful risks, with rumors sprouting about how Lord Dimitri suddenly vanished during the raid of the Flame Emperor and another which concerned around his good friend, Sylvain. Determined to gather more information on the latter, Ashe rushed off to interrogate Professor Byleth in hopes to get a better grasp on the situation.

What he got instead, was something quite parallel to his.

"Sylvain,"

Hearing the call of his name, the redhead peered over his shoulder and grinned when he saw the silver-haired boy drew nearer. "Hey, Ashe!"

Ashe frowned, seating himself across his friend on the stone railing and said, "I heard what happened—with your brother, the crests, and the experimentation…" He lowered his gaze to his hands, pitching his eyebrows together. "I'm terribly sorry,"

There was a moment of stillness, with no exchanges of words between them.

Then again, that was to be expected.

"…It's okay," Sylvain spoke up, breaking the silence. "It happens, you know? A part of life, I guess…"

Ashe's eyes widened. "I don't understand…" He trailed off, still unconvinced. "Shouldn't you be mad?"

Sylvain tipped his head in confusion. "Why would I be mad?" Shaking his head, he muttered, "Sure, I'm upset now. Probably since my brother never told me anything about it, but there's really nothing I can do. It was his choice, you know?"

"His…choice?"

Sylvain nodded, his expression forlorn. "We were tasked to eliminate him on the spot," He looked elsewhere, picking the debris from the stone railing they were sitting on as he continued with his explanation, "I struggled to kill him. Even Ingrid, Felix and Dimitri couldn't bring themselves to deal the final blow to him, no matter how much I demanded them to do it," He nursed his aching forehead as he rubbed his shoulder, slouching his back as he leaned against a nearby pillar, "The more we refused to kill him, the more my brother—who was transformed into a demonic beast—kept thrashed about, attacking us with no control. We didn't know what to do…"

Refusing to look at his friend, Sylvain propped his chin on his hand. "I'm always riled up and ready to fight for the weak, but this time, I couldn't…" He stopped for a moment to punch the air, shutting his eyes tight as he was conflicted with his emotions.

Ashe took notice of his red, puffy eyes…and right then and there, he started to imagine his friend curled up in his bed, weeping uncontrollably as he was tightly embraced by Ingrid with Mercedes chanting a soft prayer for his deceased brother, with the others standing by holding candles close to their chest—a made-up funeral to appease the dead. In the shadows, as eerie and mysterious as she was, Ashe conjured up the image of his former Professor, Byleth, who gripped tightly on the pommel of her respective weapon.

"…So, who did it?" Ashe asked softly, looking down at his hands. "Who dealt with the final blow?"

"Professor Byleth did," Sylvain answered, confirming the latter's growing suspicions. "She went ahead and slaughtered him before things got too difficult," He finally turned to face the young boy and added, "She finished a job that nobody wanted and if it wasn't for her, we wouldn't be alive right now,"

Ashe didn't utter a single word as he hung his head.

"I know that you have a vendetta on her, Ashe, but…" Sylvain trailed off, sighing heavily as he massaged his neck. "You shouldn't keep a grudge on her. I know for a fact how hard it is to accept someone's death but you need to understand that all of us are going to have to pay the price…and I already have,"

Getting up, Sylvain pressed a hand on Ashe's shoulder.

Ashe chewed on his bottom lip before peering up, making eye contact with the redhead. He watched as his friend gave him a smile, bright and brief. Just like that, he walked away, his slow footsteps echoing through the great halls.

Ashe remained in his spot, unable to comprehend what he heard.

This whole time…was his perception of Professor Byleth a lie? He shook his head, clenching his fists. She was a monster, a wolf in sheep's clothing…nothing more and nothing else.

And then there was Sylvain—his close friend and older-brother figure whom he looked up to. In addition to his chivalrous nature, he continued to exhibit the positive demeanor, masking the sadness he held in—proudly wearing it like armor.

There was no doubt that the redhead was strong and courageous; a human epitome to a lion.

…traits that Ashe failed to acquire, and failed to sustain.

Running, running…always running—that was all he knew and all he could do.

A cowardly lion, indeed.

…But if there was one thing he got out from his conversation with Sylvain, was a hidden desire.

Somehow, it sparked something inside him—a longing to return to the Blue Lions, to the people he called his family, one that had been long overdue.

Unfortunately, the timing of it was too late.

Graduation was fast-approaching and pretty soon, Ashe was forced to make another life-changing decision.

* * *

Spring—the season of renewal and beginnings, a new chapter.

What came with that was the pinnacle of graduation. Outside the courtyard was a large assembly of students, all seated in their respective Houses, with the Big Three—Black Eagles, Blue Lions, and Golden Deer stationed at the front. As always, the House Leaders—Edelgard, Dimitri, and Claude went up on stage to make a speech and shortly after, there came the award ceremony.

Ashe was titled as the top student in their year, with Lysithea the young prodigy coming in second-place, Lindhart at third, Annette at fourth and Bernadetta at fifth. To everyone's amusement, the results prompted to Blue Lions cheered louder, rivaling against the Golden Deer who made a massive round of applauses…which eventually led to the Black Eagles to join in as well, with an open argument between Edelgard and Dimitri to occur, and as usual, Claude had to butt in to try to calm them down while the onlookers watched them with growing amusement.

Even Professor Byleth, who was renowned for her stern expression, had slightly thawed and chuckled along.

Another hour or so passed and the graduation had ended.

Strolling around, Ashe smiled as he took in the sights of the large mass before him—students, instructors, clerical and academic employees alike congratulating one another. He spotted his friends nearby and as he took a step forward, stopped midway when he noticed one of them being greeted by their relatives, parents, and siblings.

He hesitated for a second, his eyes cast downwards.

"Ashe,"

Alarmed, he turned around, surprised to discover his previous instructor. "Professor…"

"You can just call me Byleth," She advised him, "We're no longer teacher and student anymore,"

Ashe forced out a sheepish grin. "Oh, yeah…right,"

Drawing closer, Byleth raised her hand and planted it on top of his head. "Congratulations, Ashe," She began, startling him. "You've finally graduated with flying colors,"

The silver-haired boy peered up, watching in awe as the older woman's lips crinkled to produce a genuine, sweet smile. Her next few words hit him like a truck. "Lord Lonato would be so proud of you,"

Ashe sniffed, quickly blinking away the tears that were beginning to form. "T-thank you…" He muttered, too soft for her to hear.

Again, he felt guilt building inside him.

No matter how much he tried to hate her, he couldn't bring him himself to do so…

To him, she was his Professor through and through; someone who watched him grow with the others. He struggled to form words to tell her, but his throat went dry.

He felt her warm hand disappearing. Inside, he secretly yearned for it to return, the same comforting feeling that he felt whenever he was around his old friends of the Blue Lions. Clearing his throat, he attempted to speak again…alas, was interrupted by Annette who skipped over to them.

"Ashe, Professor Byleth!" She greeted them, "I've got something for you!"

The older woman and young boy exchanged confused looks.

"What is it?"

Beaming brightly, the short girl bestowed them her gifts. "Behold!" She exclaimed, presenting them two tiny, lion cub plush toys. "What do you think?"

Ashe chuckled, leaning a bit closer as he admired the tiny plush boys nestled in her arms, manually created for each of the respective members of the Blue Lions. Giggling away, Annette presented her instructor and close friend with a lion plush boy she customized specifically for them. "See, this one is Professor," She explained, holding up the other plush boy donning a striking resemblance to her instructor. "And this one," She proceeds to hold up the other one, this time wearing a mini-student uniform, with the exception of a blue hoodie.

"It's…me," Ashe finished for her, completely at a loss for words. "This is fantastic, Annette! How did you make this?"

"I got some help from Mercie," She went on, handing the lion plushies to both of them, retreating backward with her hands collected together. "I made more for the others, and well, since they're a bit preoccupied with their relatives, I thought it'd be best to give you guys first,"

"It's lovely, Annette," Professor Byleth commented, graciously accepting the gift with a simple smile. "Thank you,"

"Yeah, thanks!" Ashe agreed, nodding along. Looking at the plushie, his smile gradually waned when he caught sight of a pin depicting the signature banner of his previous House. He opened his mouth to say something but stopped himself when his ears heard Annette suddenly gasped, quickly excusing herself to give out the rest of the plushies to the others.

The boy stood there quietly, glancing at Annette who was already distributing the other lion plushies she had in her possession and to his surprise, this included Bernadetta, the new addition to their team, who immediately took the plushie into her arms and thanked the bubbly orange-haired girl multiple times. He switched his attention over to the others—specifically to the four childhood friends: Sylvain, Ingrid, and Dimitri stifling their laughter at Felix who started chasing one of his younger siblings after they stole the lion plushie (it included a tiny sword prop!) Annette had given to him, and then to Dedue who wore a crooked grin as he fondly looked at his own.

"But…I'm not a Blue Lion anymore," He mumbled to himself, though loud enough for some folks around him to hear. This included Mercedes who politely dismissed the conversation she was currently having with a nearby teacher to come over.

"…Ashe?"

Shifting his gaze to his older friend, he gave her a confused look. "Huh—what?"

"Now that we're no longer separated by Houses," She began, coming closer and taking his hands together with hers. She tipped her head to the side and kindly asked, "Do you think…you could come back to Faergus with us? You know, to the Blue Lions?"

Ashe parted his mouth halfway, unable to process what she just said to him.

Really? Did they want him back?

He glimpsed over to the other direction, taking notice of Professor Byleth who was being cornered by Edelgard and Claude, insisting that she should participate in their future class reunion.

"I-I don't know…" Ashe blurted out, suddenly becoming reminded of his background as an orphan and how, with the passing of his late father a few months ago, he realized that he didn't have a family nor a place to return to…then again, would it be a safe decision for him to go back to the Blue Lions, to the Kingdom of Faergus?

Who would greet his return, say 'welcome home' to him after a tiring, long mission?

Who would be there, waiting for him?

The answer was clear and simple—there was nobody.

Inhaling a deep breath, Ashe broke away from Mercedes. When he peered up to face her, he was suddenly hit with a sense of guilt. There were sadness and pain clouding her features, and he knew that he was the one to blame.

"Mercedes, I don't have…" He blurted out, pausing halfway to control his ragged breathing. "I-uh…"

Again, he was conflicted.

He wanted to go back to them, to the Blue Lions…

"Ashe," She brought up, gaining his attention, "You're still one of us, no matter what," And smiled.

He wanted to believe her, he really did.

Ashe dipped his chin, thinking for a moment. Frowning, he shook his head.

—No, the Golden Deer was his home now.

He owed a great debt to them, for befriending a dirty commoner like him, specifically Claude who helped him overcome his trauma since the incident.

With his lack of connections associated to Kingdom of Faergus (he refused to inherit Gasper Castle) as well as reaching the legal age of eighteen, he would be granted legal rights to migrate into the eastern land where the Leicester Alliance was located, and from there, would be welcomed into his new home, together with the Golden Deer—Claude, Hilda, Lorenz, Marianne, Raphael, and Ignatz…

"Claude's got a place for me to stay over at his mansion," He explained to her, tightening his grip around his personal plushie. "Hilda, Raphael, Ignatz and the others…they're going to be there with me every step of the way…"

Mercedes studied his face—taking notice of the faint line etched between his eyebrows, the bottom of his lip quivering, his hands slightly shaking. "Ashe— "

"Thank you, Mercedes, really," Ashe interrupted her, looking up to flash an amiable grin. "I'm finally where I belong now, so tell everyone that I'll be okay…"

Bowing his head, he gave her one, last smile before twirling his heel around, strolling onward to the direction of his friends from the Golden Deer, leaving the older woman to stand by herself as she looked on, her frown deepened as she observed the young boy getting tackled by one of his classmates, with Raphael entering the circle to hoist him up and envelop him in a tight embrace. Claude came shortly, ushering the latter to put down the poor boy to give him a pat on the shoulder.

Unknownst to Mercedes, her best friend Annette, the rest of the other Blue Lions and even Professor Byleth fixed their gaze at his general direction, their wounded expressions etched with apprehensive uncertainty.

He was so far away, unreachable.

"Farewell, dear Ashe…" Mercedes said softly, dipping her chin and closing her eyes as she tied her hands together, reciting a soft prayer, "May the Goddess watch over you, always,"

* * *

Three years later, and Ashe remained in the Leicester Alliance.

Compared to the frigid wasteland of Faerghus, Leicester was teeming with nature—with a vast number of woodland stretching far and beyond, with small towns and villages in-between. There was no need for fur coats or to don layered clothes on a daily basis and nor was there ever a shortage on the supply of resources for the people to agonize about. Leicester was filled with life and wonder—a complete opposite of his native home that was barren, empty, and where survival was all that mattered to them. Here, you can enjoy and waste your day without having to worry about a conflict.

Then again, it's no wonder he chose to linger here a little more.

Secured and ever humble, Ashe lived in the Riegan manor together with the members of the Golden Deer. He was there when Claude was proclaimed and officiated as the next leader of the land, walking behind him every step of the way, along with the others, smiling with eagerness and pride as they observed their charismatic friend move to the open balcony and proceeded to wave to his people.

A month later, Ashe was there assisting Raphael and Ignatz brainstorm with an idea they've been constantly working on for the past few weeks and was present when they opened a shop together in the city, providing them with support.

He was there when Lysithea was in need of a reader to look over her drafts and was there when she was able to successfully publish a scholarly novel. And as weird as it may seem, he even admitted how he was (accidentally) there when Lorenz finally had the guts to fire his hairdresser and eventually started to grow out his hair, and was there when Hilda was proposing to open a fashion boutique in the populated Capital and Marianne when she needed someone to aid her with her studies to become a certified botanist.

Ashe was there for the majority of their accomplishments, and not once did any of them disappoint.

As for himself, he changed—both physically and mentally. He grew older, taller, leaner, a bit more handsome (his hair properly combed and styled, thanks to Hilda), a bit wiser. He became renowned for his raw skills as an archer, often being compared to the likes of Claude, who mentored him during their school days. You could even say he became a little braver, more confident, and thanks to the influence of his friends from the Golden Deer, was no longer afraid to speak out his mind. With time, the anger and resentment he once had toward Byleth slowly dissipated, and with the great distance between them, was able to find peace and finally push the negative thoughts and feelings on his previous instructor to rest.

The shadow of Byleth was no more, reviving the positive impressions he had of her stored in the depths of his mind—the lone woman who wore a genuine, proud smile like a mother. Aside from Byleth, Ashe made certain to keep in touch with his old friends from the Blue Lions after graduation—with each one of them writing a personal letter to him.

Annette saved up enough money to build her own atelier, constantly going out of her way to experiment to produce antidotes and potions, primarily for the ill and the weak with her best friend, Mercedes often taking the time to help her out. Speaking of the older woman, Annette informed him in one of her notes how the latter was starting her year-long pilgrimage in a few days, allowing her to venture far and wide to spread and share the Goddess's influence to those who were suffering and in need of medical attention.

As for the rest of the other Blue Lions, Dimitri, their house leader, was going through some episodes, storming off and shutting himself inside his room for most days. Dedue stayed with him to become his temporary caretaker, though not much was spoken between them as he took charge of training new recruits together with Sylvain. The only silver lining in his notes was how he was taking care of the plants in the royal garden on a daily basis. Ashe couldn't help but smile when his close friend mentioned about the batch of Fraxinus seeds he sent to him, and how he planted it in the castle grounds. He went on about the seed blossoming into a tiny sapling and despite the frigid weather and long cold nights, the seedling was resilient and by the recent letter that he'd written, it grew into a bountiful, mature tree.

As for the childhood friends—Felix, Sylvain, and Ingrid were admitted into the royal army, with Sylvain leading the cavaliers and Ingrid with the winged mounts. As for a certain swordsman, he'd been promoted as Dimitri's right-hand man, though the supposed title of the knight captain was quickly taken away from him by Ingrid who rose quickly in the ranks.

Reading them all was enough to make his heart swell with pride as they wrote about their achievements on paper. And then a thought crossed his mind—was it possible for him to visit them? Then again, who was stopping him?

The age of peace was here, which meant that the borders among the three territories: the Adrestian Empire, the Holy Kingdom of Faerghus, and the Leicester Alliance, were neutral and unified to one another.

And so, Ashe inscribed a letter to every single member of the Blue Lions, including Byleth, to inform them of his interest to drop by and find a designated location to meet up. And then a thought occurred to him. "I wonder…would they recognize me?"

He chuckled, with the corners of his lips quirking upwards. "…Guess we'll just have to see,"

Putting down his quill on the surface of his wooden desk, he leaned back against his chair and stretched his arms high above his head, emitting a loud yawn. Relaxing his shoulders, he glanced at the two pictures stationed near the lampstand, sandwiched between his lion plush toy—specifically on the right where he was greeted with the many familiar faces of his old friends and Professor Byleth. His eyes lingered on the picture for a moment, spurring a warm sensation to bubble inside him.

"I'll give you all the biggest hugs," He uttered softly, his voice becoming a mere whisper as he fixated his gaze on the singular picture. "And maybe, we can go back to how we were before…"

Peering up at the ceiling, his grin broadened as he reflected back to the days of the past—of Ingrid drinking hot chocolate together with Mercedes and Annette, Dedue harvesting flowers, Felix and Sylvain sparring, Dimitri engrossed on a book, and Byleth sitting quietly on a bench, smiling as she watched her class from afar, all the while sneaking a peek at the youngest member who slept soundly, leaning close against her shoulder and snoring away.

Slowly, Ashe felt his eyes getting heavy and before long, he surrendered to his sleep, dreaming of the days when he was still together with the Blue Lions.

* * *

Two weeks passed and there was no response.

Maybe they were too busy, he wondered. Brushing his thoughts aside, Ashe was determined to write more letters addressed to them, physically brought them to the post office to see the letters sent off on a carriage, and went back to Riegan manor to continue his duties.

A week turned into a month and still, no response.

His worries greatly heightened when he was reminded about his Professor—err, Byleth who has since replied back to his previous letters. Compared to the others, she wrote no responses, not even a mere sentence to assure him that she was alright, how's she been, and if she was still teaching in the monastery. Naturally, Ashe couldn't help but worry.

Again, Ashe wrote letters, made sure they were addressed properly at least five times before sending them off.

Still, no response.

More weeks turned into months. Months turned into a year.

Ashe stared intensely at the envelope he held with one hand—the same one he addressed to Dedue a few weeks ago. His eyes narrowed, shifting his focus from the envelope to the medium-sized bag sprawled on his bed, filled with an abundance of letters, the same ones he'd written to his old friends during his free time.

Looking back to the envelope, he sighed. Growing restless, he readjusted his seating on his chair, crossing his leg over the other in hopes that it would ease his discomfort. The lack of communication, particularly from Faerghus, was troubling him.

How was everyone? Were they okay?

Was there plenty of food and resources for them and the people?

And how was the weather? Was it as frigid as he remembered, or did it somehow grow worse since the last time he'd stepped foot there?

There were so many questions he wanted to ask and yet, wasn't provided a single answer.

Every now and then, during his regular patrolling around the Manor, he'd visit Claude in his office to ask him about Faerghus's current status…but what he got was nothing more but the usual, amiable smile.

* * *

Another year had passed and gone and still, nothing.

Little by little, Ashe was growing agitated by the severe lack of news coming from Faerghus. Hell, he couldn't keep count of how many times he fought or argued against the soldiers when they spotted heading straight for the woodlands, only to be rescued shortly by Claude and his friends and was escorted back into Riegan Manor—hearing the typical excuses over and over again.

Ashe brushed them to the side, refusing to talk with any of them as he was beginning to suspect that they were keeping something away from him—in this case, any viable information regarding his home.

It took another month and a half until he finally received it—his answer.

…In the form of warfare.

* * *

**And that's the end of the third chapter. A bit longer, compared to the previous two.**

**With the closing of the school phase, we are finally approaching the long-awaited war phase. As mentioned before, I would need more time to polish and expand a few things as it's quite heavy with battles and political drama-that said, I'll be updating the fourth chapter on Thursday/Friday.**

**Thank you so much for the following people - Chscak_e, WillowBlueJat17, bchemicalromanc, vulcanist, as well as the 12 guests early for leaving some comments and kudos on this work at Ao3 community (thank you so very much! They grant me strength!)**

**As mentioned before, the next chapter would be updated on Thursday/Friday.**

**Please leave any kudos/comments if you'd like!**  
**Thank you so much for reading and have a wonderful day!**


	4. Depression

**Hello, everyone!**

**Thank you so much for waiting!**

**To make it up to you, I made sure to extend the chapter with extra scenes (total of 12,847 words for this whole chapter, which means 29-30 pages!)**

**And I've just gotta say...woah.**  
**I'm pretty proud of the battle scenes and if you keep reading, you'll understand why (and if you can, think you can pick out my references for each house?)**

**From then on, there's graphic violence and minor profanity. In this particular chapter, I put all my heart and soul to express Ashe's inner conflict and desires (depression) and as a result, I've managed to read and weep for more than 3 times.**

**So grab your tissues and enjoy reading the second to last chapter!**

**Also, I would suggest listening to these songs in order for the battle scene:**  
**1\. Shall We Begin?**  
**2\. Reign**  
**3\. Last of the Starks**  
**4\. Blood of My Blood**  
**5\. Unused/Unknown track for Fire Emblem Three Houses**

**Yup, that's all for now!**  
**Have fun and enjoy the emotional rollercoaster!**

**Warning: Graphic violence and minor profanity, themes of family and friendship are strong in this one so I suggest being prepared with tissues. You have been warned.**

* * *

It began with a letter, formally addressed to Claude from Edelgard, who recently took up the mantle as the newly-appointed Empress of the Adrestian Empire, inviting him along with the rest of the other members of the Golden Deer for a school reunion—a promise she kept five years ago, spanning since the time of graduation.

The meet-up location was deeply rooted in the mountains, found in the epicenter of the map of Fódlan, close to where the Garreg Mach Monastery was stationed. Right away, Ashe knew where it was—it was the same area where he and his late father, Lord Lonato would often visit as it happened to have the finest panoramic view of the Monastery. At the same time, such an idealistic setting for the gathering reigned significance, historically renowned to be the same exact spot where the peace treaties among the three territories occurred, with the Monastery as an emblematic for the religious organization, the Church of Seiros—which served to promote equal equilibrium among the three divided lands—and for many generations since then, peace and prosperity flourished throughout Fódlan.

Ever the optimistic, Claude was quick to rally his friends together in the Riegan Manor (with the exception of Ashe who already lived there), practically dragging them once they arrived on his doorsteps to bring them inside his office, closing the doors shut and proceeded to inform them of the splendid news.

Hilda frowned, folding her arms over her chest. "That's it?"

"You called us here, at eight in the morning, for this!?" Lorenz exclaimed, his mouth agape.

Claude pursed his lips, tipping his head to the side. Eventually, he shrugged his shoulders. "Yup, pretty much," He replied, snickering as he plopped himself back on his seat behind his desk. Lifting his chin, he flashed a bright grin. "So who's excited to go on a road trip?"

There was a long silence.

Claude blinked. "…Guys?"

"I don't know about this," Raphael spoke up, scratching his messy, flaxen hair, "Ignatz and I are supposed to have our imports coming in about a few weeks,"

"And it's too late to cancel the shipping either," Ignatz chimed in, backing up his good friend and business partner. The two men exchanged quick glances, nodded in unison as he quickly added, "Unless we have someone who can take charge of them while we're away, maybe we'll reconsider,"

To Claude's dismay, the excuses kept accumulating from there.

There was Hilda, who was expected to meet with a long list of potential suitors arranged by her family, and Lorenz who was practically making a fit over how his luck to get a woman was finally coming to fruition thanks to hiring a beautician (props to Hilda), Lysithea going on about how she barely touched the new manuscripts she would be presenting in an upcoming scholarly convention, and Marianne who claimed that she was currently preoccupied with her research on a rare flower found in the depths of the woodlands.

Leaning against the wall, Ashe watched from a mere distance, taking notice of their leader sulking in his seat, bringing his hand every now and then to rub the sideburns aligning the curve of his face, and drumming his fingers across the surface of the wooden desk.

His eyes sagged, inhaling a deep breath as the image of his old friends from the Blue Lions resurfaced, remembering how radiant their smiles were and their jovial laughter echoing through the great halls every time Byleth brought their lecture to a close.

The expanse of five years may be short, but it became a moment of realization for Ashe.

As distinguishable as their faces, especially in a large crowd, over time, they were beginning to fade into memory. If it weren't for the picture he still had of them, he feared eventually, their names would be taken away from him as well.

Their faces, names, and the school picture alone were all he had left to remember them by as the days wore on.

And then a thought occurred to him.

If Edelgard sent a letter to Claude, who's the current leader of the Leicester Alliance, was it possible that Dimitri, heir to the throne for the Holy Kingdom of Faerghus, could somehow be attending the event as well?

If so, then that means…

"Claude," Ashe called out, prompting their leader and his friends to glance at his direction. Looking up, he turned his head to lock eyes with a baffled-looking Claude. "Just say the word and I'll go with you,"

Registering his words, Claude beamed. "That's the spirit!" He exclaimed, clapping his hands. "Hear that, folks? Ashe here knows what I'm talking about!"

The others looked at each other, sharing the same, troublesome expressions.

Claude sighed, long and heavy. Rising from his chair, he strode toward the circle, pausing mid-step as he stood at the center of it. "Look, as silly as it may sound, it would mean a lot to Ashe and I if you could join us," He explained, his voice calm and composed. "This isn't just a school reunion. It's a celebration of connections, the ones we've made with our past classmates back at Garreg Mach Monastery. If we go there, to the special place where Edelgard wants us to go, I guarantee you that we'll be able to rekindle the line that we've lost since then," His eyes grew soft as he placed both his hands on the sides of his hips, continuing in a soft tone, "You guys should know, as well as I do, how much Leonie meant to us,"

At the mention of their former member, every single person in the room tensed up.

Ashe veered his gaze at the carpet flooring, shaping his hands into clenched fists.

Despite being transferred into the Golden Deer for a few weeks, he could never forget how approachable and welcoming Leonie was to him, how he admired her strength and unwavering mindset, and similar to Claude, was charismatic and frank, and how cool-headed she remained, regardless of how the others started complaining when she decided to transfer to the Black Eagles and that the following day, made it official.

Aside from his lost connection with the Blue Lions, Leonie's whereabouts and how she was doing was another troubling issue.

And like Faerghus, there seemed to be a lack of intel on the Adrestian Empire as well.

Being able to see her again…just once more became an additional reason for Ashe to attend the reunion.

Aware of the solemn expressions worn by his friends, Claude cleared his throat, taking this opportunity to speak up.

"It is our duty—the House of the Golden Deer, to continue what our family and the forefathers before us, to preserve the ties among the three realms," He announced, gaining their focus. Feeling eyes on him, he held his head high as he fixed his lips into a straight line, pressing his hand close to his chest where his heart was located.

"As the new leader of the Leicester Alliance, I swore under oath to ensure that the wheel of peace does not break," Slowly, he motioned his head to survey the expanse of the room, comprised of the comrades he befriended and grew close to since the days of the Officer's Academy. "All I ask is for each and every one of you to reconsider where you stand. Chances are, this supposed reunion is bound to be historical,"

Raising his voice, he continued, **"With this reunion, if we can somehow scale the walls between us, to reach out our hands to friendship, and open our hearts to one another, with our strengths combined as one—be it Adrestian, Faerghus, or Leicester—together, we can do anything,"** Stretching his hand outward, he exclaimed with all his might, "Who's with me?"

On cue, the others immediately put their hands over his, piling it up.

Ashe joined in as well, leaning forward to press his hand over Marianne's.

Overwhelming with a burst of energy, Claude yelled another cry, and in reaction to this, every single member of the Golden Deer threw their hands into the air.

Seconds later, a burst of laughter swept throughout the room.

Even Marianne, who was known for her graveyard expressions, had lightened up, with a broad smile adorning her face.

Planting a hand on her hip, the ponytailed pink-haired woman quirked an eyebrow. "When did you get so good at public speaking, huh?" Hilda points out with a frown, "Back at school, you used to slip away whenever Professor Hanneman called you up to practice in front of us,"

"Well, I never did well in that lecture," He admitted, shocking the others, though was quick to erupt into laughter, "Still pretty good on my first try, don't you think?"

While the others bickered and poked fun on their leader who merely insisted that his declaration was simply influenced by a spur at the moment, Ashe retreated a few steps back, a faint smile materializing as he allowed himself to 'capture' such a tender moment.

A wink of sun through the glass windows caused a spotlight to loom over the members of the Golden Deer, and before he knew it, their silhouettes were becoming replaced with the Blue Lions—Claude changing into Sylvain who was prone to crack up jokes, Lorenz who rolled his eyes turned into Ingrid, Lysithea, and Marianne becoming Annette and Mercedes respectively, while Ignatz and Raphael became Dimitri and Dedue…and with the absence of Leonie, who would've fulfilled the entirety of the Golden Deer, Ashe conjured up an image of her between Claude and Lorenz, who were both Sylvain and Ingrid, and like the rest of them, she transformed as well, modifying her into Felix.

The thick, leathered chair, the same one behind the desk magically became Byleth…no longer spiteful nor monstrous but just simply there, watching them like a mother, etched with a gracious smile.

The silver-haired man widened his eyes for a second as a warm sensation resonated within him.

They were there in front of him…so close, yet so far.

He reached out his hand, his mouth partly opening and as he took a step forward, the glow diminished and what was once the ethereal shadows of the Blue Lions reverted back to the Golden Deer.

The feeling of longing, to be with them again burnt inside him.

"Just a little bit longer…" Ashe said to himself, too quiet for the others to hear. "And we'll be together again,"

* * *

After being dismissed, the members of the Golden Deer returned to Riegan Manor a few hours later, ultimately choosing to shelve or cancel their supposed appointments prior to the highly-anticipated reunion thanks to the surprisingly moving speech their leader made (and thanks to Claude, Raphael, and Ignatz managed to find a suitable substitute who could temporarily take the reins of their store during their time of absence)

Adjusting his shiny, silver armor on his shoulder blade, Ashe took a step back and smiled nervously in front of his mirror. Unlike the standard attire for an archer, which consisted of brown and yellow coloring mixed in with bronze armor, the one for a sniper was surprisingly befitting, allowing him to customize the bronze with silver and removing the helmet to give way to his signature black hoodie, which he still wore underneath his assigned outfit.

Inhaling a deep breath, he nodded. "Okay,"

Grabbing hold of his respective weapon, his Brave Bow and quiver, he rushed off. Closing his bedroom door with the heel of his boot, Ashe wandered along the halls. Along the way, his ears picked up a familiar sound. Frowning, he listened closely, moving his legs toward the direction of where the noise might be coming from. It wasn't long until he found himself standing near the half-opened door of Claude's chamber. Curious, he popped his head inside, surprised to find their leader dressed in lavish clothing, posing in front of a mirror.

Watching this, Ashe couldn't help but shake his head, emitting a chuckle.

Catching the latter on the act, Claude whirled his head and grinned. "Hey, bud!" He greeted his friend, approaching him. "So, whaddya think?"

Ashe frowned, inspecting him from head to toe. "You look like you're going to a gala or something," He commented, causing the other to laugh heartily.

"I know, I know, it doesn't suit me," Claude drawled out, chuckling as he rolled his eyes. "Hilda said the same thing earlier,"

"She's right, you know,"

Claude groaned, "She always is," He agreed, bobbing his head along. "But whether I like it or not, still need to make at least an effort to look good,"

Ashe slanted his head to the side as he tried to imagine what the dark-skinned man would've looked like if he had worn his standard attire—consisting of a typical bow knight uniform, with a few yellow sashes, frills, and over-the-top golden armor to indicate his noble status. Compared to what he was currently wearing, it wouldn't make much of an impression. "Yeah, just stick with what you've got right now," He told him, chuckling away, "And hopefully, you might not stick out like a sore thumb like what happened back in graduation," His smile broadened as his friend laughed at his joke and went on to approach him, stretching his hand out to ruffle his silver hair.

Of all the members of the Golden Deer, Claude remained the same laidback individual. Even when he took up the position as the leader for the Leicester Alliance, he was still the friendly and positive Claude as Ashe remembered him to be.

And for that, he couldn't help but feel utterly grateful.

"Claude?"

"Yeah?"

Ashe drew in a breath. "Don't…ever change, okay?" He trailed off, his eyes softening. "Even if I'm no longer around, I hope that you continue to cheer up people and be there for them…"

Claude quirked an eyebrow, confused. "What's up with that?" He wondered aloud, followed by a light-hearted laugh. "You make it sound as if you're gonna die soon or something,"

Ashe's radiant eyes faltered for a second, though was quick to mask the emotions swelling up inside him with a crooked grin. "Just letting you know,"

The two men looked at each other, exchanging impish grins.

Shaking his head, Claude brought his hand to pat his good friend on the back multiple times, before breaking away to walk over to his queen-sized bed, where a strange-looking bow laid idly on the comforter.

Right away, Ashe recognized the weapon to be a family heirloom for House von Riegan—an ancient relic passed down for many generations, and since Claude inherited the minor crest of his prestigious family name, was eligible to harness its formidable power. The designs were eerie-looking yet astounding, from the tips to where the arrow would supposedly rest, was made in the bones of a dragon and at the centerpiece, was a singular red orb engraved with his respective crest…greatly reminding him of a certain older woman who possessed a weapon quite similarly to the latter.

"Ashe!"

Blinking his eyes, the silver-haired man shook his head. Frowning, he directed his attention to his friend who gave him a concerned look.

"You okay there?"

Ashe mustered a sheepish grin. "Yeah, sorry about that…"

Hearing this, Claude smiled. With his dominant right hand gripping on the handle of his large bow and quiver, he placed his other left on Ashe's shoulder blade and in a soft voice, said to him, "Thinking about them?"

Ashe stiffened in his spot. He opened his mouth to speak but was beaten to it.

"Don't worry, I'm sure Dimitri will be there too," Claude assured him, giving him a wink. "And your friends as well from the Blue Lions," He walked ahead, crossing through the doorway. He paused in his tracks to peer over his shoulder, his eyes lingering on the man in front of him.

Ashe felt a chill run down his spine. For a second there, he could've sworn there was a strange glint embedded in his eyes, but before he could voice out his concern, Claude was quick to revert to his usual, laidback guise.

"You ready?"

Processing his words, Ashe nodded firmly. "As I'll ever be," And without a moment to lose, he walked ahead, joining his friend in arms as they were later joined by the others patiently waiting for them outside in the halls.

* * *

By high noon, they would venture off to the designated place with the coordinates Edelgard had written on the back of the letter.

In the duration of their trip, Claude was persistent to make things lively, singing his heart out inside the carriage where the men were put in. Lorenz groaned inwardly, protesting him to stop, but Claude sang louder to drown him out, and in a rippling effect…Raphael and Ashe eventually joined him on his fifth sing-along, with Ignatz surprising them on the tenth. By the late evening, they managed to sing at least forty songs in total…until Claude suddenly proposed that they shouldn't sleep the rest of the night and to instead, dedicate it with his rambunctious singing.

Unfortunately, Raphael and Ignatz wholeheartedly agreed…which led poor Lorenz to storm off.

Desperate to have his beauty sleep, the pretentious nobleman pleaded for the women to let him come inside their tent, to which Hilda was quick to kick him out of…and in the end, was forced to choose two options—either sleep outside in the cold or to accompany Ashe who happily volunteered to do the first watch.

…Lorenz chose the latter in a heartbeat.

Under the stars, the two friends chatted…err, mostly Lorenz who seemed to babble on and on about the many women he was able to successfully court at one of the galas he was invited to. All the while, Ashe smiled, congratulating the latter for his efforts.

"Aren't you cold out here?" Lorenz suddenly asked him.

"Not really," Ashe answered, smiling. "Guess I should thank Faerghus for that,"

His friend frowned, furrowing his eyebrows as he glanced at the distant campfire. "Is it always cold there?"

"Most of the time," Ashe confirmed, leaning back as he sighed. "But I like the cold,"

"It doesn't bother you?"

When he caught sight of the latter shook his head, Lorenz scoffed. "If I were you, I wouldn't know what to do with myself,"

As Lorenz went on with his rambling, Ashe lifted his chin to look up at the night sky. The array of stars twinkled brilliantly, and he couldn't help but reflect back to the days when he used to camp together with his late father, Lord Lonato, who would start to point and name each star he could find.

It's been so long, hasn't it?

The nostalgic memory and the conversation he had together with Lorenz made him feel homesick, yearning for the days when he'd make hot chocolates, curl up inside his blanket and watch the light shower of snow from his window.

Ashe closed his eyes for a few seconds. The curves of his lips quirked up, producing a bitter smile.

In the end, he stayed up for the whole night, counting the stars.

And by the peak of the morning, barely nine—to the others' frustration and Claude's delight, they resumed their road trip.

Slowly but surely, the group was getting closer and closer to the designated place.

And with each passing hour, Ashe couldn't help but lengthened his grin.

He was finally going to see them—Lord Dimitri, Dedue, Felix, Mercedes, Annette, Sylvain, Ingrid, Byleth. After five years of being separated from different territories, at long last, they were going to be reunited.

…But what awaited him and his friends was far beyond his imagination.

* * *

Nobody knew who started the fire.

But one thing's for certain—it triggered every single individual within the area to initiate their attacks. Ashe stood there, watching with bated breath at the catastrophe surrounding him. This wasn't like any of the raids he'd gone through nor the missions like protecting a nearby village from bandits.

No, this was total war.

Before he could even blink, Ashe felt his body heating up as the flames spawned further and further along with the earthly soil, as if it had a mind of its own. And then the mighty roar of a wyvern prompted many of the soldiers, including him to turn frozen and direct their full attention on the spectacle that was occurring in the skies.

Riding on an enormous, white wyvern was none other than Edelgard, donning in her large, crimson armored dress and her long, flowy blood-tainted cape violently fluttering about. The long, snow white hair and periwinkle ribbons she was well-recognized for during their school days were no more, giving them up for a pair of large buns, kept together by dragon-like horns suspended and secured by a complex crown, embellished by intricate carvings and red jewel. With her class promoted to mount a vicious dragon, Edelgard perfected the aura of a reigning empress—stunning yet petrifying as she dominated the skies.

In sonic speed, her wyvern vigorously flapped its beating wings, letting loose of an aggressive growl. With her eagle eye, knew precisely where to target and flew strong with her wings, sweeping the field of her enemies with graceful friction.

Ashe clenched his teeth as he braced himself for the impact, closing his eyes tightly as the wyvern glided overhead, and though it held no intention to ward off any nearby enemies, its female rider took the job by swinging her enormous axe from side to side.

He caught himself at the line, quickly dodging away at the nick of time as the life of a random soldier just behind him was taken away in a split second. Staggering, Ashe constricted his eyes in hopes to find anyone familiar in the mass of a hundred faces. Peering up, Ashe was stunned to discover a bright, red glow emanating from a high cliff. Squinting his eyes, he smiled when he registered the identity of the archer…then again, the yellow-colored suit pretty much gave it away.

He keenly observed with bated breath as Claude pulled the drawstrings of his bow, releasing a ferocious glowing arrow into the direction of—

A fog of smoke erupted, spawning throughout the battlefield.

Alarmed, Ashe brought his arm to cover his nose, squinting his eyes as he attempted to pick out the shadows surrounding him.

High above, the fog was almost too dark and thick to see nor hear the presence of the wyvern. Edelgard took this as an advantage, guiding her wyvern to conceal themselves in the shadows as a piercing noise swooshed through the air. Ashe waited for a sign, narrowing his eyes as he drew his concentration on what appears to be a dead corpse of a red-armored foot soldier, punctured by the same, glowing red arrow.

Before long, more red arrows were raining down on them.

Ashe fled the scene, gathering more energy and pumping them in his legs as much as he possibly could. Once he managed to enter into a safer zone and was reunited with some of his friends (Raphael and Ignatz on guard duty as Marianne was healing Lysithea who was badly injured on her arm, with Lorenz and Hilda nowhere to be seen yet heard from), Ashe paused and turned back to check on their leader perched up on top of the cliff. His expression was calm and unwavering as he silently studied the calamity down below. To a bystander, Claude made it seemed as if he had owned the entire stage, his regime unyielding with coolness and resilience. And it was working.

Ashe heard some of the yellow-armored soldiers around him start rejoicing the moment they saw him. Unfortunately, his mind was off elsewhere. He broke into a smile as well, but as always, it was brief. A cold wind blew by, and along with that, came a familiar sound.

A clean cut—a demonic bellow from a sword.

In slow motion, the silver-haired man motioned his head to his left.

There, about a few feet away from where he stood, was a male swordsman.

Dressed in a dark blue fur-coat and upon closer inspection, his shoulder-length hair, with some pulled up into a tight ponytail was noticeable, painted in the color of midnight. His sharp agility, the flashing of a large crest which shortly led to an immediate lethality to his enemies as they fell in mere seconds was all it took for Ashe to identify him. Only one person could pull off damage like that.

"…Felix," He uttered lowly from his breath.

Indeed, it was.

With a bright smile adorning his face, Ashe quickened his pace.

He cried out his name, alas, he wasn't heard as his old friend was preoccupied with his sword dance, with the reflection of the orange flames flickering warmly within the cool steel of his brave sword. When he managed to clear the space around him, there was still much to be done. Quickly, Felix whirled his body to strike another opponent.

Realizing this, the silver-haired man stopped and stared as two female silhouettes appeared in his field of view—the taller one with magenta pixie-cut hair, whilst her partner was dyed orange hue, styled in a ruffled bob, together they were dressed in similar-looking crimson red attire, a strong implication of their allegiance through the execution of a gambit. Armed with killing edges, the female pair pounced on Felix, who was quick to retaliate by blocking their combined attacks.

Before Ashe could comprehend what was going on, a powerful cutting gale crossed the line between them, sending the two female myrmidons off before they could land a hit on Felix who remained in his spot.

Once he discovered an opening, he charged forward and with the swing of his blade, dealt a critical hit on them. His attacks were aggressive, more deadly than how Ashe recalled. And yet, that didn't seem to matter to him, diverting his sights away from Felix to a sorceress who was accompanied by a female bishop.

Cloaked in a black hood and a white veil (a speck of bright orange and auburn brown respectively), the two women exerted a wave of magical energy, both offensive and defensive, brewing up a storm as they parried against a Dark Knight and Warrior, both tall men—one with noticeable, long green hair riding a horse, and another with bright blue hair, armored to the brim, fighting in hand-to-hand combat as they attempted to penetrate through the bubble which the previous pair were protected by.

Ashe shifted his gaze over to Felix, who rapidly came to aid them as he managed to deflect the attacks.

On his right was a different story.

More foot soldiers and cavaliers were seen, though the one that caught his eye was the one leading a large battalion. This knight-in-black-armor rode on his stallion valiantly and from the looks of it, there seems to be a short woman dressed in gold and purple clothing, her violet hair styled in a short bob and with a keen eye, was firing a shot of arrow, one after another to the red-and yellow-armored enemies around them. Their initial enemy, a female songstress with curly, brown hair and a prominent black hat, utilizing her ability to boost morale for the foot soldiers which formed the majority of her battalion unit.

Ashe peeked back at the knight in black armor, and as a hint of red flashed before his eyes, he fumbled over his words. "Sylvain…" He uttered, his breathing ragged. "You're here too…"

The earth quaked violently, forcing him back to reality.

At first, Ashe assumed that a mage was casting another spell until he heard—

"**KILL EVERY LAST ONE OF THEM!"**

The calling of a roar.

Swallowing thickly, the silver-haired man peered behind him.

The large smile on his face faded the second he saw a looming figure marching in.

Such a barbaric aura, and a great shaggy, mane of gold, with his thick, fur coat protecting his black armor. Stopping at the edge of a slope, the lion let out another mighty roar—a raw, powerful sound projecting into the air with an intense force that it was heard for miles around. He was calling.

In return, came the calls of his pride within the chaotic battlefield summoned and acknowledged.

Ashe's mouth dropped open.

"Lord Dimitri…" He spoke softly, and as he noticed his previous house leader strode on with an uncharacteristic malicious smirk, and an eyepatch to match his sunken, blue eyes and barbarous appearance, Ashe struggled to keep it together. "What in Goddess's name happened to you?"

Dimitri wobbled as he moved, and yet, was able to exhibit a dominant presence.

Behind him came another familiar face of Dedue, with a slight stubble along his jawline, a few nicks, and scars adorning across his forehead, and his hair styled in a crewcut and clothed in a similar fashion as the latter, with the exclusion of his mighty shield and armor. He rampaged into the field like a madman, fending off a particular, grim-looking dark mage with long, flowy obsidian hair in close combat: shield against magic.

His voice couldn't reach them as they continued to march headfirst into the fray, with Dedue aggressively piercing his enemies single-handedly with his chosen weapon while Dimitri ventured forth, grinning sinisterly as he swiped his lance, striking down anybody who didn't wear the proud blue colors of his house.

A hand was placed on his shoulder blade, and more voices were heard.

But none of them seemed to matter, with Ashe not bothering to respond as he was too absorbed with the disturbing scene before him.

Lord Dimitri and the Blue Lions were here, alive and well.

But something was wrong.

"ASHE, HEY!"

Hearing his name, the silver-haired man tore his sights from the Blue Lions to glance the other way, surprised to discover Ignatz in front of him. "Take my battalion and head to the woods," He instructed his friend, his expression hardened as he presented him with another quiver load of arrows. "Try to eliminate as many enemies on sight, okay? Raphael and Lysithea would be joining you shortly,"

Ashe nodded firmly. "What about you and Marianne?"

"We'll be assisting Lorenz and Hilda over there," And jerked his chin to a nearby fight, where a merge of purple and pink—with the nobleman riding on a valiant horse as he summoned a rain of thunder while his female companion took her time slashing and dicing their red-and-blue armored opponents with her great axe.

Looking back to face his friend again, Ashe flashed him a grin.

"You got it," Accepting the quiver, he proceeded to bump fists with the latter, bidding each other good lucks and rushed ahead to meet with a large body of troops, ready and waiting for his orders.

"LET'S MOVE!" Ashe yelled aloud to gain their attention. Left with no choice but to follow orders, he turned a blind eye on his old friends, the Blue Lions, and moved forward into the unknown.

Unknownst to him, a certain older woman had her eyes fixated on him, looking on as he courageously led his troops further into the forest.

* * *

Away from the prying eyes and the bringers of death, Ashe and his battalion secluded themselves within the bountiful greenery of trees, concealing their existence as a passing wailing eerily blew by. High on alert, Ashe glimpsed at one of the archers near him and pressed a finger close to his lips. Using his arms, he proceeded to form signals to them, concluding with him pointing to himself and then darting to the trees in the front.

The archers unanimously responded by bobbing their heads, and without another word, with his back hunched and his knees crouched, Ashe began to stealthily glide from tree to tree. Eventually, he found himself in what appears to be another clearing. All of a sudden, his ears perked up as the sound of a neighing pegasi resonated. In the blink of an eye, he noticed a collision of white and blue colors, with the winged pegasi slammed violently against the charred ground.

Hiding behind a tree, Ashe brought a hand to take hold of his hood, stretching farther down until it reached the tip of his nose. He went on to snatch an arrow from his quiver, steadying his breathing as he unconsciously put the arrow on the tongue of his bow. Squirming a bit closer to the edge of the tree, he perceived the female rider who struggled to get out from under her mount. It pained him to hear her scream aloud once she managed to squirm out from underneath and pleading for her beloved winged steed to not close its eyes.

Ashe held his breath, closing his eyes as he tried not to get his emotions overrun him. And then, a strange flickering was heard from nearby…reminding him of the blazing flames that attempted to devour him alive. For some reason, Ashe found himself come out from his hiding spot and pulling the drawstrings of his bow, aimed straight for the red mage's heart as they staggered on the spot.

The fire conjuring from their open palm diminished and with the snap of a finger, his enemy collapsed in mere seconds flat. Ashe drew in a sigh of relief, but before he could relax, he heard footsteps coming toward him. Frantic, he took another arrow from his quiver, pulled the drawstring of his bow and hastily whirled around, ready to aim and fire at—

"…Ashe, is that you?"

That voice.

His lips quivered, legs shaking.

He couldn't believe his eyes.

"Ingrid?"

By the call of her name, the female Pegasus knight removed her metallic helmet, revealing glossy, green eyes, and a bittersweet smile. Her bright, long mustard hair that used to be woven into a singular braid was replaced by a messy, updo—with a small braid loosely hanging and tied by a green band. Donning an outfit in fine, silver color, intermingling well with her winterberry fur coat and a small golden pin above her heart to proudly display her current status as the Knight Captain.

"It's been too long," Ingrid said softly, her eyes solemn. "Thank you, by the way, for saving me back there,"

Ashe's breathing hitched. "I…" He trailed off, unable to say anything else. He lowered his bow, his eyes widening as he tried to process what was going on. He watched as his old friend rushed back to her winged steed, who seemed to have regained consciousness as it attempted to rise from the ground, emitting a loud neigh.

Ingrid smiled with joy, leaning close to her pegasi as she fondly patted its indented muzzle. She glanced back to the young man who looked back at her with a blank look. "Ashe," She cried, getting his attention. She reached out her hand outward. "Come with me,"

"…Where?"

"Home," She answered with a soft look, "Everyone's waiting,"

Ashe inhaled deeply. From the corner of his eye, he noticed something lurking in the shadows. He stiffened in place, taking notice of an archer from his battalion sneaking in and raising his arrow, directing it toward Ingrid.

His lips quivered, his hands getting sweaty.

Without thinking, Ashe raised his own.

Startled by this sudden change, Ingrid glanced at him with worrisome eyes.

"Ashe— "

Her words got cut off the exact moment he let loose of his arrow. With nothing to defend herself, she quickly raised her arms to fend it off, waiting for the impact or for the feeling pain surging through her…

But it never came.

And another minute or so passed.

Confused, she fluttered her eyes open and looked up. She turned around, shocked to find that the arrow that was supposedly for her had penetrated a yellow-armored archer…killing his own men to save her.

Quickly, she whirled her head just in time to see Ashe heading back inside the forest.

"Ashe!"

He stopped, much to her relief though it drained quickly as he remained still.

Ingrid opened her mouth to call out to him again but was interrupted.

"You need to leave," Ashe warned, shooting her a glare. "It's not safe here,"

Ingrid stumbled in her footing, bringing a gloved hand close to her chest as she wore a wounded expression. "Ashe…" She watched her old friend look at her with a bitter face, though in a few seconds, his expression changed from the face of an adult to one of a child, forcing her to become reminded of the Ashe that she knew, and the one she saw as a part of her small family.

"_Please," _He mouthed to her general direction, a singular word meant only for her. The expression written on his face was worse than anything. He looked tormented, yet seemed to be quite an expert for perfectly masking this.

But she saw right through him and with that one look and one word, she knew exactly what she wanted. Straightening her lips into a fixed line, she nodded firmly to him as she wordlessly trotted off to climb on her winged mount.

He heard large wings flapping and neighing, belonging to a pegasus, taking this notion as a sign to retreat back inside the forest with a faint smile etched across his lips. He watched past his troops, who went out from their hiding the moment they saw him and stared intensely at him prior to vividly witnessing what he'd committed.

Drawing close to a nearby archer, Ashe abruptly paused in his tracks and sent him an intimidating glare. "Say a fucking word about this to Lord von Riegan," He seethed, tightening his grip on his Brave bow. His eyes were cold, distant but inside was a fire raging. "And I swear by the Goddess's name, that I won't show you mercy,"

The archer gulped, then anxiously shook his head. And one by one, the rest of his comrades followed his example, frozen still and waiting for their next order.

Ashe forced a grin, "Good," He said softly, and marched forward, causing some of the archers to exchange at one another in confusion.

"Uh…sir Ashe?"

No response.

"Sir Ashe!"

Gritting his teeth, the silver-haired man found himself advancing forward, deeper and deeper into the forest, leaving the rest to fend for themselves.

He could still feel their intense staring at him.

Don't look at me, he wanted to lash out and yet, didn't have the energy left to speak anymore.

He kept running and running, heart pounding and legs thrashing about, nearly tripping over his footing.

Even so, he kept moving. And once he found himself on the other side of the forest, miles away from the battlefield, from the calamity, from the eyes that judged him for his actions…he finally released the breath he'd been holding in.

Stumbling a bit, Ashe loosened his hold on his bow and quiver as he dropped to his knees, and eventually, so did the rest of his body. Exhausted to the bone, his lungs felt like they could burst, his throat parched and desperate for water. His slightly torn-up clothes and hair was slick with perspiration, clinging to his fair skin.

He chewed on his bottom lip. His body quaked as a chilling sensation embraced him. The emotions he bottled up for the past few years finally exploded, throwing his head deeper into the earthly soil. To his relief, there was nobody in sight nor to hear from a mile away.

With staggered breathing, Ashe raised his head high, his teeth clenched and expression contorted with uncertainty. Closing his eyes shut, the young man released a powerful, raw scream—nothing like human speech or bird song.

Tears flooded down his rosy cheeks as he let out another scream, and then another, thunderous and deafening, close in par with that of a fierce lion.

Lord Dimitri, Dedue, Felix, Mercedes, Annette, Sylvain, and Ingrid—he finally met them again in the battlefield…

But not in a way that he wanted.

* * *

Adrestian Empire, what was left of the Holy Kingdom of Faerghus, and the Leicester Alliance…

The reunion that promised another era of change, tranquility and unification among the three main territories fell apart before it could even begin with hundreds of dire fatalities and losses from each opposite side.

Compared to the negligent atmosphere they had as they made their journey into the mountains, Claude, Ashe, and the other members of the Golden Deer returned with what was barely left of their armada—fifty or more so of the cavaliers and archers, while the majority of their foot soldiers have lost their lives serving their nation. They were the last to arrive in the reunion and were the first to leave the battlefield to retreat, knowing for sure that if they had remained longer, hundreds more, including Claude and his friends, would've died.

As the new leader of the Leicester Alliance, Claude was the one to take responsibility for the many deaths, becoming ridiculed and mocked by the public, gradually losing the sponsorship and trust of his supporters from the Council. Despite the bad press damaging his image and questioning his governance, he never backed down and stood strong with resilience. After coming to terms that the Adrestian Empire and the Holy Kingdom of Faerghus could never see eye-to-eye with their ideals and beliefs, Claude had no choice but to declare war against the two territories.

In addition to this announcement, he went on to stress the consequences to the alleged people who might be plotting with their proclaimed enemies would be immediately interrogated and under the jurisdiction of the government, would hold a fair trial to determine their fate—and if proven to be guilt, would either be sentenced in a life of prison or terminated behind closed doors.

From that point on, everything changed.

Yellow Banners depicting the Golden Deer sprang out from thin air, greatly recommended by Claude to exert their dominance and assurance of where the people's loyalty lies.

Soldiers patrolling throughout the Capital and other populated cities, including the Riegan Manor, became a natural sight for the people, and in the marketplace, they were often questioned on the spot regarding their allegiance. During the first few weeks since the decree was established, approximately a hundred and twenty common folks, including those from mercenary groups were deemed guilty and from then on, nobody heard what became of them.

But Ashe knew. He always did.

Though the government assured the people that there were two options, in the end, there was only one. And it sickened him, knowing that Claude was aware of the Council's intentions and allowed them to do whatever they pleased. For some reason, there was something strange going on about him, despite exhibiting the same, old laid-back demeanor he was known for. As days went on, Claude's speeches ringing of friendship nor brotherhood were replaced by one of pressuring the people to put their full trust and faith to him and the Councilmen.

Ashe grew worried about his close friend and even the others, especially Lorenz and Raphael grew fearful of him. Hidden beneath Claude's impish smirk was something ominous, sinister, and chilling, and no matter how much they attempted to decipher it, they couldn't seem to guess what it could be.

Regardless of their efforts to question their leader, all they received was the usual, amiable grin and the sight of his eyes twinkling as the door closed between them, dividing them between two worlds.

Since then, Ashe was growing conflicted of his perspective on his close friend.

The person who he looked up to, the person who took him in when nobody didn't want to, who helped him ward off his demons, and was there to offer his shoulder in times of need, a brother, a friend, a comrade. Claude was there for him, always willing to surrender some of his time to be there for him.

And as much as Ashe encouraged himself to do the same, deep down, he knew that he couldn't. Since the reunion, the poor man couldn't seem to sleep properly, often waking up in cold sweat or screaming loudly until one of his friends (worried for Claude, they eventually settled to temporarily remain in Riegan Manor to look out for him), would barge in and assure him that all was well and that it was simply a nightmare.

And then one day, Claude summoned him to his office.

"You…wanted to see me?" Ashe wondered aloud, popping his head halfway through the door.

Catching sight of his friend, the dark-skinned man broke into a grin. "That's correct," He confirmed, snickering. He watched as the silver-haired man closed the door behind him and wandered inside. Leaning in, he propped his chin on his knuckle and asked, "So, how've you been? Doing well?"

Ashe mustered a tiny smile and shrugged. "I've seen better days,"

Claude nodded along, followed by another smile. "You don't mind if I could ask you some questions?"

Hearing this, Ashe became tensed.

Claude took notice of this and rolled his eyes. "Buddy, relax!" He assured to him, waving his hand off dismissively, "Just wanna know what you think about the plans I've made for our upcoming missions,"

Ashe blinked. "Oh…" And relaxed his shoulders. "What is it?"

"The councilmen and I have been talking about the best possible course of actions to win triumphantly from this war," Claude explained, veering down at the thick documents laid on his front desk. "Some of the intel that we managed to get about the Adrestian Empire came from some of the people excused to be working for them,"

"And what about Faerghus?"

Claude widened his grin. "That's where you come in," He rose from his leathered chair and strode over to his friend, snaking his arm along the latter's shoulders and continued with his explanation, "Since you're native from the land of frigid winters and you fighting on our side, we were wondering if it'll be alright for you to give us some intel,"

Ashe pitched his eyebrows together. "…It depends on what kind of information you need from me,"

"Well, to give out an example, we wanna know what makes them tick," Claude went on, smiling away as he leaned a bit too close on the latter.

The silver-haired man frowned. "Are you referring to the weather?" He asked innocently, not quite understanding what his friend was referring to. "Because if you are, it's impossible. The defense of Faerghus relies solely on nature—which is how the land is filled with endless snow and storms,"

Claude frowned, breaking away from the latter as he ruminated through his thoughts. "I get where you're coming from," He replied, "I'll make a note of that,"

Ashe meekly nodded. "Anything else?"

"Yeah, actually," Claude went on, flashing him a grin. "Would you care to lead a large armada into Faerghus?"

Ashe blinked once, then twice. "What?"

"You're knowledgeable about the terrain, and the severe conditions," Claude reasoned with him, "We're depending on you, Ashe, to help us bring victory to the Leicester Alliance. It's a pretty big responsibility, but I'm sure you can do it," And then proceeded to slap him on the back, followed by a burst of boisterous laughter.

Taken aback by this new information, Ashe fixed his lips into a straight line.

Claude took notice of this and shot him a worried look. "You okay?"

"What if…" Ashe trailed off, stopping for a moment to choose the right words carefully. "What if I said no?" Slowly, he looked up to face his friend, surprised to see the usual, amiable smile fading and become a fierce beam of bitterness.

"Are you saying that you won't do it?"

Ashe swallowed thickly, bemused to hear his friend's voice turn grim.

"No, that's not what I— "

"Where does your loyalty stand?" Claude suddenly cried, startling him on the spot. 'Tell me, right now!"

Ashe slightly quaked, his teeth chattering. "I don't…" He trailed off, closing his eyes shut as he mentally cursed himself for sounding like a fool. "Claude, I don't understand what you're talking about— "

"Don't look at me like a fucking idiot," Claude interrupted him, advancing forward and cornering the poor young man against the wall. "I saw you saved Ingrid from the Blue Lions, and killed one of your men to let her escape,"

Ashe's eyes widened in horror.

Oh, no…

"What kind of a friend does that, huh?" Claude lashed out, "I gave you everything you wanted and this is how you repay me?" Consumed with anger, he punched him directly across the face, causing him to stumble and drop down to the ground. "You son of a bitch!"

All of a sudden, the doors burst open, revealing the members of the Golden Deer.

"ASHE!" Marianne and Ignatz cried in unison, scurrying over to aid the poor young man who curled up on the carpeted flooring, breathing heavily while Raphael, Lorenz, and Hilda sprinted ahead to hold back their house leader from attempting to land another punch at him.

Soon after, the guards from outside came in to quell the tension.

Bringing a hand on his bruised cheek, Ashe couldn't help but moan from the pain.

"It's okay, Ashe…" Marianne said softly, as she began to recite a prayer to heal his fresh wound. "I'll patch you up, so don't worry,"

For a second there, she sounded someone familiar to him.

"…Mercedes?" He mumbled softly to himself, but before he could say anything else, his eyes grew heavy, and before long, he fell unconscious as the dizziness overtook him.

* * *

"Ingrid, wait!"

Ignoring her childhood friend, the blonde woman marched on, the heels of her armored boots clanking brashly along with the shimmering, wooden floor tiles of the great halls. Narrowing her eyes, she quickened her pace to get to the church.

The tall redhead shook his head, frowning deeply as he attempted to catch up to her. "Damn it, Ingrid! I said wait!"

To his surprise, she halted midway in her steps, whirling her head to face him, her expression written with determination. "What?" She suddenly cried, startling him. Upon realizing what she had done, her eyes slightly widened, bringing a hand to cover her mouth as she glanced back at the latter. "Sylvain, I…" Lowering her head, she sulked, her eyes downcast. "I didn't mean to raise my voice at you," She began, bowing in apology. "Forgive me,"

Registering her words, Sylvain slipped a smile across his face. He walked past her, confusing her. "I should be the one apologizing," He points out without bothering to look back at her. "Looking for Dimitri, right?"

Ingrid blinked, then meekly nodded. "Yes,"

"He's not at the church,"

This confused her. "Then, where…"

"You should know," Sylvain hinted, whirling his head to flash her a grin and a knowing look. "It's where we started our journey together as a team, after all,"

Realization dawned upon her. Without thinking, she rushed off, much to her childhood friend's dismay, as she hurriedly advanced forward, to the familiar place where it accepted her.

"Say hi to Dimitri for me!" Sylvain yelled and when he saw her raise her arm in acknowledgment, he mustered a grin and strolled back to assist in the Mess Hall.

Spotting the proud blue banner on the pillars, she skidded to a halt, panting breathlessly. Inhaling a deep breath, she strode inside.

A few steps in and she was immediately swept by a wave of past memories—the classroom where she and her other housemates grew up together and became close, where they were taught to learn the value of teamwork and honing their personal skills under the teachings of Byleth, who miraculously yet mysteriously arrived at the entrance of the Garreg Mach Monastery, a few weeks after they managed to secure the building as their safe haven, and before the dreaded reunion came into play. She looked at her surroundings—the long wooden tables and the uncomfortable chairs they were forced to sit on for the drills and lectures were gone and in their place, was a large circular-shaped table at the very heart of the expansive room, with a map displaying the map of Fódlan, as well as with the three primary territories and the other neighboring nations.

The pillars remained strong and sturdy, albeit weary as time went on. The bookshelves on the right side of the room were disposed of, and instead, became a small run-in-the-mill office for them to negotiate and strategize their plans privately. On the opposite side was a small fireplace, where a group of small children sat comfortably, chatting lively as their laughter filled the cold, taciturn atmosphere of the space.

Ingrid watched as Dedue suddenly appeared next to her, nodded his head in acknowledgment to her as he wandered over to the children, giving them a few spares of blankets and pillows before ushering them to follow him in one of the empty dormitories to rest in. She produced a smile and waved at them who saw this and mimicked her gesture, and as they left the area, she exhaled an exasperated sigh.

Two years had gone and the Holy Kingdom of Faerghus, or rather, what was left of it…was nothing but hell. It happened so quickly—towns and villages raided and burned by the bandits led by the notorious Death Knight, who worked under the influence of the enigmatic Flame Emperor, then there was the Nightcrawlers or Those Who Lurk in the Shadows…

Ingrid cringed in her spot, her body quaking as she was forced to re-experience the trauma she'd been through, fresh, vivid, and horrifying.

She remembered the many helpless citizens pleading for help, only for their lives to get short and their blood splattered on the ground, their dead corpses piled up for all to see. She remembered how she, along with Sylvain and Felix were there, quite shaken and yet persisted to complete their mission—rescue as many survivors as they possibly could and bring them to the Monastery where Annette and Bernadetta were there to supply them with food for nourishment in the Mess Hall, Dedue guiding them to their temporary sleeping quarters, with Mercedes and Byleth stationed in the infirmary to heal the injured, sick, and the elderly (thanks to whatever was left they could salvage from Annette's atelier moments before bandits stormed in and destroyed everything). And the cycle would repeat and repeat.

Before long, the Monastery was mostly occupied by mostly women, children, and elderly folks with a few able men volunteering to aid them on their regular patrols to search for more survivors.

Weeks passed since the reunion and the scars were still there.

There was Annette, who managed to pull off an impossible feat, eliminating and repelling most of their enemies, and as the others retreated back to their respective armies, the others found her barely breathing as she wasted too much of her energy and strength to conjure her powerful magic to protect them from an incoming air attack from Edelgard. The poor woman was out cold for a while, and as always, Mercedes and Bernadetta remained by her side, with Ingrid and the others often dropping by to get an update on her wellbeing.

When she finally came through, she changed a little…but not in most extremes, as they've initially thought. Her long, bright orange hair, which used to be braided into pigtails were removed, allowing for her mid-length hair to cascade freely down her back. There were more bruises etched on her cheeks, and though she retained her cheery personality and sweet smile, there were times when she would ask for some time by her lonesome. Then again, nobody could blame her…as the raids brought nothing but trouble, with her missing parents nowhere to be found and her Uncle, Baron Dominique, publicly executed in their estate as a reminder of how much power the Flame Emperor had on them.

Following after that came another change, this time from Felix. For someone who was persistent to do things on his own, it became quite a surprise to the entire team when he suddenly started to exhibit signs of kindness and concern around them. What hit the nail in the coffin was how he was willing to reach out to others and assist them, and though he remained the same lovable idiot who wouldn't hesitate to remark or complain, it was often heart-warming to catch him wandering around with a tray of food and distributing them to the refugees. Then again, could this sudden change of heart be somehow connected to the loss of his parents and him becoming the current guardian of his younger siblings?

Next came Sylvain. Unfortunately, the death of his brother was only the beginning of his tragic tale and as similar to Felix, his father died protecting their family from the raids. His castle, father, three out of his four siblings with the youngest still alive and kicking in his mother's pregnant womb, his home was gone…with nothing else but a sword-encrusted with his family crest which was passed down to him and his honorable surname—possibly the last heir to the House of Gautier.

For Mercedes, it was a short, yet terrifying story. After her successful year-long pilgrimage throughout Faerghus, she was sent to spread more influence on the other territories, beginning with the Adrestian Empire. It wasn't long until she was discovered to be from Faerghus that she was nearly killed on sight…only to be spared by Edelgard who insisted for her to remain unscathed but rather, to deliver a message to Dimitri concerning the reunion. The older woman did what she was told, utterly grateful for her old classmate who chose to spare her, only to realize that that was her intention all along…in exchange for her life, hundreds of soldiers were to be slaughtered in her place. Knowing that she felt nothing but guilt, blaming herself for the great losses of their men.

As for Bernadetta, her background was equally as sorrowful as the rest. Since her transfer to the Blue Lions, she was warmly welcomed by the others (Annette was quick to befriend her and they became inseparable), and by graduation, announced that she'll be returning to the Adrestian Empire, visiting her new friends every chance she got and overtime, became confident and braver to speak out her mind. While staying with her family back at the Adrestian Empire, a group of foot soldiers barged inside and forcedly separated her from her parents, labeling as a traitor and excelling her from her own country. Left with no home, she went to Annette's estate for refugee and for a few months, she remained there…until the raid came and took everything away again.

And finally, there was Ingrid. Following graduation, she was forced by her family to meet with her potential suitors. To her surprise and relief, it was Dimitri who saved her and insisted that she should be a part of the royal knights, and for the next three years, was able to prove to herself and her parents that she didn't need a husband to restore their reputation and it was thanks to her new title as the knight general that they were able to reclaim what they've lost…and then tragedy struck. While she was stationed at the royal palace, she was unaware of how her estate became a target by the Nightcrawlers, abducting her parents and as one of the families bearing crests of the ten great heroes, were used for experimentation. What came after was nothing but a horror show…as she was forced to kill her mother and father, who were turned into demonic beasts.

Recalling this, Ingrid shaped her hands into clenched fists.

No, now wasn't the time for tears.

"…Ingrid?"

She flinched, turning around to discover her house leader standing before her. "Dimitri," She addressed him, relaxing her shoulders. "You've nearly frightened me,"

Dimitri tipped his head, gesturing her to sit on the chair closest to her.

She nodded, pulling out the chair and plopping herself down.

"What's on your mind?" He asked worriedly, his voice soft.

Ingrid lowered her gaze to glance at her hands, collected them together and drew in a sharp breath.

Of all the members of the Blue Lions, it was Dimitri who was hit the most. His frequent episodes and uncontrollable rage were a part of his mental illness and when the royal palace, his home had befallen by their enemies, stripping him away from his title as the next heir to the throne and once more, taking up the mantle as their house leader, gathering them together as they were all he had left of what made up his family as his own have been taken away.

Unfortunately, that was all that she knew as there were more layers in his story and to her disappointment, he refused to tell it to anyone in fear that he might hurt them.

And yet, when it comes to the Blue Lions and around their former professor, Dimitri didn't hesitate to show them his vulnerable side, and it was then that they realized, despite his barbaric appearance and frequent episodes, that he was still the same, kind Dimitri they loved and knew.

Turning her head to face him, Ingrid began with, "I would like to request for a search-and-rescue mission,"

Dimitri blinked, surprised to hear this. "What for?" He wondered, "Is there someone you would like to save?"

Ingrid nodded firmly. "Yes," She confirmed, leaning closer. "Ashe Duran from the Golden Deer,"

That caught him off-guard. "…Ashe?" He repeated, completely at a loss for words.

"During the reunion, my beloved pegasi was attacked by fire magic," She explained, her voice stern. "We were saved thanks to Ashe,"

Dimitri furrowed his eyebrows. "That can't be…" He muttered lowly under his breath. Sighing, he shook his head. "No, it's too risky," And rose up from his seat, wandering deeper into the room. "He must've mistaken you for someone else. That must be it,"

"No, that's not true!" Ingrid protested, raising her voice. "He saved me twice!"

Dimitri peered over his shoulder, his eyes narrowed with uncertainty.

"He killed off one of his men to buy me more time to escape," Ingrid went on, rising from her chair as she approached him. "I saw him, Dimitri! The old Ashe that used to be with us, he's still there!"

Her childhood friend glowered. "That's not enough to justify your reason, Ingrid," He countered back, glaring down at her as he tightened his fists. "If I sent you and the others there, what would happen then?" Consumed with rage, he slammed his fist into the table. "I won't forgive myself if something happened to all of you…" He whispered softly, his body shaking as a flood of painful memories—of his parents and his home burning in intense flames as he stared in horror, desperately trying to get back inside only to be held back by Dedue, Felix, and Sylvain—and slowly, more of them were resurfacing from the back of his mind.

"I can't…please," He groaned, shaking his head. "I can't take it anymore…"

Ingrid bit her bottom lip. "I'm tired of running," She spoke quite softly, loud for him to hear her words. "…Aren't you?"

Silence enveloped the entirety of the room with the exception of Dimitri's ragged breathing as he attempted to control his conflicted emotions.

Ingrid stepped back, giving her friend some space to himself. Lifting her chin, her eyes slightly widened, surprised to find the older woman, her once dark hair glowing in radiant green, along with the appearance of their other friends as they quietly entered the room.

Closing in on them, Byleth snuck a glance at the blonde woman who looked back at her with a wounded expression. With the ghost of a smile, she gave the latter a knowing look and then proceeded to press her hand on their house leader's shoulder, causing him to stiffen.

"We've all lost something, Dimitri," Byleth began, her voice brimming with hope. "But that doesn't mean we should give up. Ashe is somewhere out there, and he needs us,"

Still, there was no response.

The others exchanged glances at each other, until…

"I've…got something to say," A voice spoke up, belonging to Bernadetta, who stepped forth to present herself in front of them. Bringing her hands close to her chest, she watched from a distance as their house leader gradually raised his head to lock eyes with her. With a determined face, she began her speech. "I transferred here to the Blue Lions, not knowing that I was going to find a place that would welcome me and accept me for who I am," She mustered a smile as she reflected back to their school days, when she used to be extremely introverted and kept to herself, "I was still not used to the Officer's Academy but it was thanks to you guys, that I began to enjoy every single day,"

Tipping her head, Bernadetta frowned as she added, "The Adrestian Empire…the land where I was born and raised, kicked me out just like that. I had lost my home, my family…and I was alone, all by myself," She stopped for a moment as tears began trickling down from her eyes, "My own home didn't accept me, and threw me away like I was nothing…" More tears were spilled and as she struggled to form more words from her mouth, something warm was pressed from her hand, and then another was placed on top of her head, and then another on her opposite shoulder blade, and then another gently taking hold of her hand and squeezing it fiercely.

Dimitri watched as the other members of the Blue Lions comforted her, supporting her as she sniffed loudly. His eyes softened, and for a few brief seconds, he imagined Bernadetta, who retained her short height, with a certain silver-haired boy, who used to cry to himself whenever he was alone. Dimitri reflected back to a memory when he found the poor boy bawling his eyes out when he didn't do well on one of his tests, Dimitri was determined to assemble the other members together to help him. He remembered the next few weeks, filled with smiles and laughter, as they cheered for Ashe who managed to score the highest grade in the midterms, beating Lysithea and Lindhart—that moment alone became precious for him, recalling how utterly proud he was for the boy.

Finding her voice again, Bernadetta raised her head and continued, "But now, here I am, surrounded by a new family and a new home, who welcomed me from the very start,"

Dimitri's eyes widened as a warm sensation spawned within him.

Those exact words that came out from her words—right then and there, Ashe appeared in her place, with his bright smile and his naïve aura, a person whom he and the others swore to protect at all cost.

Quickly, he strolled over to their direction, surprising them.

Once he approached Bernadetta, he looked down at her and reached out his hand to pat her head, the same way he used to do with Ashe.

Bernadetta blinked, before flashing him a small smile.

Dimitri stood there in silence, ruminating through his thoughts.

Releasing his hand, he turned to face Dedue. "Write a letter to Claude," He instructed him, his eyes renewed with vigor. "Tell him to meet us at the border with Ashe. Tell him to come alone and assure him that we won't attack," And started heading for the entrance, only to pause again to add in a grave tone, "And if he doesn't comply with my wishes, we'll bring hell to him,"

* * *

A week passed since the incident that happened at the office.

Though Claude was quick to revert back to his usual self, Ashe remained reserved, choosing to distance himself from his friends. He didn't bother to try to stop the news of his failure to eliminate an enemy from spreading throughout the Capital, and before long, he was quickly labeled as a traitor by the people. His friends, on the other hand, refused to believe it. With Ashe under house arrest for a few days until the Council determines his fate, each member of the Golden Deer would visit him with food, supplies, books, and other knickknacks in hopes to make him feel better or to provide him company.

Another week went by and after a long discussion among themselves, the Councilmen deemed it worthy that it was for the best to execute him the following day.

Of course, his friends protested against this and to his surprise, even Claude joined in, proclaiming that despite what he did, he still viewed him as his friend and comrade-in-arms through and through.

Somehow, Ashe couldn't help but smile at the idea that despite being considered a criminal, there were people who were determined to choose his side.

…In the end, and unsurprisingly, the Council remained firm with what they decided upon (turns out that Claude, with his current leader of the Leicester Alliance, was unable to bend the rules for him, especially when his action was legitimately an act of treason.

And so, for the next remaining hours that he had left, Ashe chose to spend his time with his friends of the Golden Deer from morning until the afternoon, when it was time for them to leave, Raphael seized the opportunity to envelop Ashe into a tight embrace, followed later with Ignatz along with their signature fist bumps, then came Marianne and Lysithea who pecked him on his cheeks, with Hilda tackling him in a hug and proceeded to playfully kiss him on the lips…which eventually led Lorenz to take this as a competition and followed her example.

…As weird as they were, Ashe loved each and every one of them, grateful to have befriended them.

And later that night, he chose to stay up and reflect back to the times when things were content and well. He veered his eyes at the tiny lion plush gripped on his left hand, then shifted over to the school picture he had on his right.

"I'm sorry…" He mouthed, his eyes beginning to turn glossy. "I'm sorry, everyone…" And buried his face against the lion plush and the picture frame, feeling the bitter cold and warmth intermingling on his cheek.

All he wanted, no matter what, was to see them again.

To be reunited with the people who accepted him, who he saw as family, his home.

But now, it was never going to happen.

Not in this life.

Or maybe not ever.

Ashe finally exploded, the tears bursting forth like water from a dam, spilling freely down his face, trembling like a small, lost child as he clutched desperately onto the last two pieces he had left of the Blue Lions…

Why didn't he take Ingrid's hand and just flew away?

Why didn't he take Mercedes's suggestion to return to Faerghus?

Why didn't he forgive Byleth sooner?

Why did he transfer in the first place, knowing full well of the consequences?

Why did he have to run away?

No matter how much he put effort to change, to try to become a little braver, confident like those who he looked up to, it would always backfire in the end.

"I really am just a cowardly lion, aren't I?"

Ashe buried his face deeper into his arms, unaware that his bedroom door was slowly creaking open, nor did he heard the quiet, scampering footsteps making its way over to him.

"Ashe,"

Hearing his name, his head shot up. Peering up, he was surprised to discover Claude standing in front of him. Quickly, he wiped his tears and snot away with the back of his arm. "What are you doing here?" He hiccupped.

Claude snickered, causing him to frown. "What? I'm not welcome here anymore?" He joked, only to utter a low curse when he realized that he made the latter sulk.

"Woah, buddy!" The dark-skinned man cried, squatting to his knees as he patted him affectionately on the head. "Relax, I was only pulling your leg,"

Looking up, Ashe rolled his eyes. "Whatever you say,"

The two men chuckled, relishing this moment. When the silence settled in, Claude cleared his throat. "Sorry for punching you on the face,"

Ashe snuck a glance at his friend and produced a smile. "Honestly, I deserved it," He admitted, scratching the back of his head. "I mean, I did kill one of your men out of cold blood, so I guess…we're sort of even?"

"Not quite yet," Claude uttered lowly, too soft for the other to hear. Shaking his head, he forced a smile across his face. "You know, I'm glad I met you,"

The silver-haired man blinked. "Really?"

"Yeah," Claude confirmed to him, his facial features softening. "I'm glad to befriend someone as obnoxiously brave as you, bud,"

"…Brave?" Ashe drawled out, confused. "I'm not brave,"

"You are," Claude assured him, chuckling. "You've always been, you know that? Not sure if you knew this, but back in our school days, the minute you declared that you transferred to my House, you became twenty hundred percent cooler,"

Ashe blushed, quite flattered by his compliment. "Oh, uh…thanks," He muttered, furrowing his eyebrows. "You're pretty cool too, Claude,"

Claude scoffed. "Of course, I am!" He asserted, then proceeded to make a cool pose. "Always have and always will,"

Again, the two friends erupted into a burst of laughter.

"What's that you've got there?" Claude wondered, jerking his chin over to the picture frame and lion plush he held close to his chest.

Looking down, Ashe smiled bitterly. "Oh, these are remnants of what I still have of my family,"

Claude quirked an eyebrow. "Your family?"

"Yeah…" Ashe answered, his voice cracking. "The Blue Lions, I mean…" He paused for a moment to inhale a deep breath. "I've always been running away from everything. When I found out that my adopted father died, the first thing I did was cause trouble for them. I distant myself away, blamed my professor for his death, and just…" He closed his eyes shut, pinching the bridge of his nose in an attempt not to cry his eyes out for the umpteenth time.

"It's been five years since, and…all I want, more than anything in this world, is to just see them again…hug them and just tell them how much I miss them and love them with all my heart,"

A tear from his right eye spilled down, and yet he didn't seem to care.

"I had so many chances to see them again, but I kept running and now…" Chewing on his bottom lip, he forced himself to grin. "It's the end of the line for me," He croaked, "Guess I deserve it, you know? For pushing them away this whole time…and never once reflecting back on what I did…." More tears flowed down his cheeks. "They're too good for me…Lord Dimitri, Dedue, Felix, Mercedes, Annette, Sylvain, Ingrid, and Byleth—they really are good people and the fact that I just abandoned them and kept pushing them away, I just…" He sniffed, leaning forward as he spilled out the feelings he'd been bottling up this whole time. "I just wanna go home,"

All Claude could do was watch helplessly as his poor friend openly expressed what he finally desired. The corners of his lips slightly quirked upwards, producing a sorrowful smile. He knew what he had to do.

He brought a hand and placed it on his shoulder blade to comfort him. Eyes softening, Claude called out his name.

Sniffing, Ashe peered up, his face covered with fresh trails of tears. "…Hmm?"

"Do you trust me?"

Hearing this, Ashe frowned. "I don't…"

"Do you trust me?" Claude repeated, a bit louder.

Thinking it over, Ashe firmly nodded. "Yeah, why?"

Claude grinned from ear to ear. Standing up from the ground, he reached out his hand toward him while his other patted the latter's knee a few times for encouragement. "Come on then,"

Wiping away his tears again, Ashe gave his friend a puzzling look.

Claude simply smiled. He brought a hand over to his left breast pocket, seizing the small paper inside and presenting it to him. "I got a letter from Dimitri a few days ago," He began, his smile lengthening in size as he caught his friend's eyes widened and reading the paper again for the third time to ensure the legitimacy.

"Wait, does that mean…" Ashe trailed off and once more, peered up to Claude with hopeful eyes.

Claude nodded in confirmation, "Pack up your things," He began, his voice clear and composed. "I'm taking you home,"

* * *

**And that's everything! Whew!**  
**Now, we have one more chapter left-can you guess what it is?**

**Also, EVERY MEMBER FROM THE OTHER HOUSES HAS A CAMEO. CAN YOU GUESS WHO THEY WERE FIGHTING WITH/AGAINST?**

**Anyway, I can't express how much I enjoyed writing Claude (he's such a good character), and as for the battle scene for the reunion, it got pretty long thanks to the great influence of the game of thrones soundtrack (and for anyone who's interested, check out the playlist up above for more effect!)**

**Writing out the tragedy for each Blue Lion member broke me, especially Sylvain's as it's somehow a nice nod to a certain princess in Awakening, and as for Dimitri, I made sure not to add too many explanations to make sure that you can distinguish what's true and what's false-I'm counting on the lore of the game to do this for me, so I hope it works out well.**

**And one more thing-that weird long paragraph of Ashe finally breaking down as he talked about the Blue Lions? I wrote that as I imagined himself in his shoes and without thinking, the words flowed out and I kept crying as I wrote them down, knowing for a fact that this must be exactly what he must be feeling at that moment.**

**Whew...what a chapter, huh?**  
**I hope I was able to hype you guys even more for the last and final chapter as well as for the fire emblem three houses game!**

**Similar to how this chapter was done, in order to make the writing look and sound great, I'm going to need some time to rest and polish my draft. Sound good for everyone? Here's the date for the final chapter-Sunday.**  
**No ifs, ands, or buts this time.**

**Thank you so much for the following people - baoxie and the 10 new people who made kudos! As well as for the amazing others, like ****Indigo One, ****who took their time to write comments for me, thank you so very much! They grant me strength! (in the ao3 community) **

**As mentioned before, the last chapter would be updated on Sunday.**

**Please leave any kudos/comments if you'd like!**  
**Thank you so much for reading and have a wonderful day!**


	5. Acceptance

**Hello, everyone! Thank you so much for your time!**

**Due to technical difficulties, I wasn't able to properly post chapter 5 as much as I wanted to. But don't worry, to make it up for you readers, I've decided to split the original chapter 5 into two parts, which is why there are six chapters listed on the summary.**

**Now, be warned. This is probably going to hurt, as it did to me, but just know that we're almost close to the finish line.**

**And if you can, listen to the song, 'Ashes' by Celine Dion for dramatic effect.**

**That's all I can say for now.**  
**Enjoy the emotional rollercoaster!**

* * *

Back at the Monastery, an older woman wandered through the great halls by her lonesome.

Every now and then, she would pause and smile at the passing women, elderly, and children, who in return would mimic her friendly gesture. Venturing further, she began to reflect back on the days of old—of a time when all was well and without the declaration of war upon them.

Peering over her left, she imagined a cluster of students lounging outside the gardens, with some tasked to water the plants for an assignment, with Dedue there to assist them. Across from him was none other than Dimitri with Edelgard, having their occasional quarrels out in public, with Claude naturally taking up the role as the peacemaker whenever it got intense.

Shaking her head, Byleth marched onwards, pausing momentarily when she decided to take a quick detour to visit the infirmary. Poking her head in, she carefully examined the large expanse of the room and as usual, the clerics were at work, rushing about as they treated the refugees, mostly the elderly and children. Byleth couldn't help but imagine Madam Manuela, who was usually found here, tending to the fresh wounds of Felix and Sylvain who sat awkwardly in their seats, refusing to meet each other's gazes as Ingrid, their children friend, lectured them on the spot, openly expressing her disapproval for their recklessness and to better take good care of themselves.

With the ghost of a smile, Byleth would go on to drop by the Church, where she would be greeted by the clerics hard at work, and as she scanned the area, her mind conjured the form of Mercedes, greeting her each time she stepped inside and would go on to ask if she would like to join her on her daily prayer. Excusing herself, Byleth allowed her legs to take her to the Mess Hall.

Sneaking a peek inside the kitchen, another flashback would resurface, this time of Annette and Bernadetta who were in charge of the preparations for supper, with one screeching as she had accidentally burned the bread from the oven while the other frantically ran around in search for a fire extinguisher. Eyes widening, Byleth didn't hesitate to quicken her pace, ready to assist them in whatever means necessary…until she realized that it was all an illusion, and in their place, were the cafeteria staff hastily rushing about with large pots and pans in their hands as they were getting themselves ready to concoct the next meal for the day.

Unlike most places in the Monastery where it was dark and barren, the Mess Hall was always lively as she recalled it to be.

The long, winding rectangular tables and the chairs still remained, and from the looks of the other employees who were diligently cleaning up the clouds of dust along the wooden surfaces, she couldn't help but allow a small hint of a smile, secretly grateful that after all this time, the environment was still the same.

Dismissing herself from the large Mess Hall, Byleth headed for the steps of the staircase before seating herself down, her sorrowful eyes lingering at the sparkling lake in front of her.

Five-long-years had passed since then, and to her dismay, she was absent for the majority of her students' achievements.

She knew from experience that bargaining wouldn't work, recalling the time how her father had died protecting her from one of their enemies who conjured thunder magic aimed at her. It was a quick, and immediate death—one that she was forced to witness before her eyes. And then darkness came in, and whisked her away, with nobody else except for Sothis, who would often show up to ridicule her.

And for a long while, Byleth was nowhere to be found, as if she never existed in the first place.

When she was ready to surrender and be reunited with her parents, a ray of light appeared, with a hand reaching out—bringing her back to the world of the living.

Opening her eyes, she was welcomed by the sight of her students, the same ones she had taught when she used to be an instructor in the Monastery. Nursed back to health and on her feet, the members of the Blue Lions filled her with the details of what had happened, and of the major events she had missed for the past five long years. Though her memories were still quite scattered, her walks around the Monastery, particularly the major hotspots, were enough to recover the bits and pieces of the past. Slowly, but surely, more memories resurfaced—mixed with the good and the bad.

Time and time again, Byleth was panged with a wave of emotions…regret, guilt, remorse, shame, sorrow but most of all, angry.

Everything fell into ruin…and it was all her fault.

"Sothis,"

The older woman motioned her head to the right, expecting a short, green-haired girl with elf-like ears and extravagant attire, ornamented with golden trinkets and a crown, to materialize next to her.

As if she had read the latter's mind, the mysterious girl called Sothis began with, "You can always stop this from happening, you know," She slanted her head to the side as a faint trace of a smile adorned across her face, with her chin perched underneath her sharp chin. **"Both sides have already been revealed to you. I wonder, what shall you do?"**

Byleth opened her mouth to say something, only to close it again.

All Sothis could do was smile. "The choice is up to you," She points out, ignoring how her physical body was radiating brightly prior to the lack of energy to sustain a permanent form. "Whatever it is, I hope you're ready to pay the cost," And just like that, she vanished.

Once more, Byleth found herself all alone to drown in her inner thoughts.

Emitting an exasperated sigh, she rose to her feet and began to make her way back to her former classroom…only to pause in her steps when she heard the faint sound of growing laughter. Peering over her shoulder, she saw it—

The shadow of a young silver-haired boy who used to run to class to avoid being late, holding tightly of his textbooks as he raced through the great halls, followed by Annette and Sylvain who seemed to be trying to keep up with him. Byleth stood there, her mouth partly opened as for a split second, she locked her eyes with his, and to her surprise, he flashed her a toothy grin, as if he knew that she was there all along.

Byleth turned the other way, her eyes fixed in on his retreating form, dismissing the cries of his other friends who quickened their paces to chase after him. And then it slowly dawned to her.

That memory—it was the first time she met him.

Byleth closed her eyes for a minute, recalling how their encounter went—it happened shortly after she miraculously saved three of the house leaders from a surprise ambush, and prior to her heroic exploits, was rewarded with the job to become an instructor at Garreg Mach Monastery.

She remembered the feeling of being awkward, uneasy by the many eyes on her as she strolled together with her father who assured her that there was nothing to fret again. Though she remembered visiting the building a few times during her youth, returning back to her roots, this time as a mercenary gave off a different feeling for her.

She remembered how worried she was as she questioned her role as an instructor, and too engrossed with her thoughts, had nearly bumped into Ashe and his other housemates. Though the meeting was brief, that innocent look on his face, his smile bright and brief, somehow it lifted her spirits. It wasn't long until she finally found her way to her assigned class, that it became quite a shock yet a refreshing relief upon discovering his familiar face, and even more so when she realized that he was going to be her student.

And as the weeks went by, after becoming more accustomed to her practice as an instructor and bonding well with her students, it was then that she made a vow for herself—that no matter what, she was going to protect him and the others from harm's way.

Their future was in her hands…and they were all depending on her to lead the way—to guide them, support them, watch over them, and encourage them whenever things went awry. It was her duty, as the official Professor of the Blue Lions, to ensure that they would grow up to become strong-minded adults, and with whatever they decide to do, she must always be there, ready to assist them.

…Or so, she thought.

When Ashe made a scene and stormed off, Byleth felt troubled.

Then again, she couldn't seem to blame him for doing so…as she had once been in his shoes when her beloved mother passed away.

And when Ashe suddenly declared to transfer to the Golden Deer, she didn't know what to think or say. It was his decision after all, and it was his future. Yet, for some reason, Byleth felt that she had to do something…her gut was telling her, pleading her to stop him from leaving them, from leaving her.

But it was already too late.

His mind was made up.

And he left, with his back turned, and all she could do was watch him from afar, and when their eyes met again, Byleth forced herself to give him a smile and nod her head, encouraging him to keep moving on with her.

Recalling his sendoff made her feel miserable inside. And though they were able to recruit Bernadetta in the Blue Lions, who became quite a valuable member on their team, for Byleth…she could never forget that feeling, of being utterly useless as someone whom she viewed as her child to walk away from her life.

Byleth felt her body shaking, and as she drew in a sharp breath to ease her mind, a memory resurfaced from the back of her mind…one that she would consistently push away, again and again.

But this time, it was different.

It was the memory that she was never proud of—tightening her grip around the pommel of her dragon-encrusted sword, she lowered her gaze as she made contact with the elder man, Lord Lonato, Ashe's adopted father. She remembered how hesitated she was, and how she struggled to end his life right then and there.

Conflicted with her decision, a voice spoke up.

"There's no better way to end one's life, knowing that you fought a good fight," She recalled Lord Lonato's words, his voice gentle and soft as he fixed his gaze on her. "Do me a favor, and take good care of my son. He's a bright one, you see, and I want nothing more but to see him happy and alive," Slowly motioning his head to face her, he offered her a bittersweet smile. "And if he ever loses his way, please be there to guide him," And as he closed his eyes, he uttered his last, final words. "I'm counting on you,"

And that was it.

A clean cut through his throat and he was gone.

And later that day, Ashe stared off into nothingness. The others consoled him but nothing was getting through to him. As much as Byleth wanted to reach out and comfort him, she knew that he needed some space, some time to ruminate with his thoughts, to personally mourn over the death of his beloved father.

Alone, just like her…

Shaping her hands into clenched fists, Byleth advanced forward, her expression etched with a newfound resolve as she headed straight for the place she knew by heart.

She had already failed him once.

"This time, I'll make things right," She murmured, more determined than ever. "Whatever it takes,"

* * *

Inside the former classroom of the Blue Lions, Dimitri sat alone on one of the seats of the round table. Resting on his lap was a picture, one of the last remnants of his school days—the image of him and his housemates as freshmen which were taken during their first week of the inauguration. On the lower left corner was a smaller printed image, albeit the charred margins and the crumpled format, and quite similar to the previous one, was another piece of his childhood, this time depicting a younger version of himself together with his late parents…the only thing he could salvage moments before the fire devoured everything in sight, the entire palace burning to the ground with no signs of survivors.

Dimitri gazed intensely on the two pictures, unconsciously gripping the wooden frame with his dominant left hand.

Who would've thought that these two pictures—at the time, were mandatory to take as part of remembrance (or capture at the moment as one might say), turned out to be one of his most prized possessions?

"Milord,"

Dimitri slowly craned his head upwards, slightly turning to his right to discover Dedue, his loyal associate and a dear friend standing before him.

"Everything's been prepared and ready," He announced, bowing his head respectfully.

Dimitri took a moment to process his words before nodding. "…Good," He murmured, slyly glancing back to the pictures and mustering a tiny smile. Placing the picture frame on the surface of the wooden table, he slowly rose from the ground and as he started to take a few steps toward the exit, he found himself tumbling backward.

"Lord Dimitri!" Dedue exclaimed, rushing to his aid.

A wink of light, neon green, and black entered their field of vision and before they could comprehend what it was, a strong, unknown force latched themselves onto the house leader's wrist. Peering up, Dimitri watched as the appearance of their former instructor materialized…but she wasn't alone.

There were other hands lifting him up as one, with some grabbing tightly onto his thick fur coat, and some seizing his hands with theirs, and another from behind him. Gathering some energy, he successfully regained his balance and was quick to shift his attention to the other people in the room—his housemates.

As they slowly withdrew their hands from him, Dimitri took the time to look at each one of their faces, and unsurprisingly, they all stared back at him, sharing the same unwavering expression. There was even Felix, his childhood best friend, and despite his obvious scowl, there was a glint of concern in his eyes.

A moment of silence settled in.

Taking a step forth, Byleth cleared her throat and exclaimed, "Just say the word and we'll follow," Flashing him a smile, she continued on with her speech, releasing her hand from his wrist and implanting them on his right shoulder for support. "It's your call,"

Hearing this, Dimitri felt a warm sensation building up inside him.

He may have lost so many in the fire, but were things in this life that were worthwhile for him, with their presence alone becoming more than enough for him to feel whole again. The housemates whom he bonded overtime during their school days somehow became his life-long friends, and even more so, his second family.

But there was one that was missing, a certain someone that they could never forget—someone whom they swore in the past to always protect.

And now, tonight's the night to take him back.

"Let's go," Dimitri suddenly cried, rallying them up, "To the place where Faerghus and Leicester are separated, and where Ashe will be,"

And just like that, he went through the doors, his back straightened and his head held high with confidence. Seconds later, a proud smile made its way through his lips as his ears perked up by the sounds of approaching footsteps a few meters away from him, and that alone reignited something inside him, to keep moving forward and never looked back.

Once they've reached the stables and were saddled up on their respective stallions (with Sylvain and Ingrid offering to give a ride to Bernadetta and Annette), Dimitri looked over to his right to find Byleth standing close by. He brought out his arm for her to take, and upon accepting it, Byleth was quick to settle in behind him.

He peered over his shoulder. "Ready?"

Byleth nodded firmly, giving him a knowing look.

Dimitri went on to take another good look at his friends, spotting Felix who had his own white stallion and with Dedue sharing one with Mercedes. Something warm was pressed on his shoulder blade, relieving his growing discomfort.

Inhaling a deep breath, Dimitri reopened his eyes, whirling his head to the path paved ahead…and the lights illuminating his way, coming from his people and the other staff of the Monastery, with their hand tightly gripping onto the stems of the torches which flickered beautifully in the darkened hour.

Pulling on the reins of his horse, Dimitri went ahead, and shortly after, so did the rest…

With their minds polluted of a certain young boy with a smile that could rival the sun, together, the gathering of lions marched into the night.

* * *

The journey to the border wall was short yet grueling.

Everywhere they looked—from every corner and other possible exits, there were soldiers patrolling around, and on high-alert. And yet, thanks to Claude and his knowledge, they both undergone the labyrinth of hidden passages within the Riegan Manor, leading them straight out from the massive building and into the manor gardens, unscathed and unhurt.

Headed straight for the stables, they were baffled to discover how there was not a single individual in sight to supervise the stallions…then again, even if there was, Claude was always there with something up his sleeves. Taking a winged mount—with Claude taking control and Ashe safely secured behind him—together, the two friends escaped, accessing the skies for temporary refuge.

Turning around, Ashe looked back at the place where he had spent five years of life growing up, and as they flew farther and farther away, the Riegan Manor gradually shrank in size and once more, he was reminded of how fortunate he was to have lived there, as well as the friends he had made along the way. Removing the yellow-attire he wore in exchange for his old-school uniform, he couldn't help but feel a whirlwind of emotions within him. Though a bit tight on him, somehow it felt somehow right to wear it…until Claude came in to offer him a spare of his clothes, to which the latter happily accepted. And even now, despite the five-long-year gap between his school days and his adult years, he could never seem to get rid of the hoodie he wore to this day.

Refocusing his eyes on the view of the Riegan Manor, he mouthed a soft "goodbye", along with a slight bow of his head in respect, silently thanking the place for what he was given—a place to stay for shelter, and for him to grow as a person, and most importantly, to allow him to be given another chance to make new memories together with Claude and their other friends from the Golden Deer.

As he blinked, the sight of the beautiful, shimmering manor was covered by a large migrant of clouds floating idly through the night sky…and just like that, another chapter of his life was finished. Heaving a deep breath, Ashe forced himself to look away as he felt a sting of tears beginning to flow from the corner of his eyes…

Time to keep moving forward.

"So, did you get everything?" Claude brought up, breaking the silence between them. "Your belongings, I mean,"

Ashe heard this and thought for a moment before shaking his head. "…There wasn't much, to begin with," He admitted, producing a sheepish grin as he tightened his grip around the other's torso. He veered to the land below them and taking notice of the bustling lights from a nearby village, his eyes hardened. "Just a few exceptions and the clothes on my back,"

The dark-skinned man blinked. "I'm surprised," He began, followed by a light snicker. "You know, especially since you mentioned about being a former thief and all," He snuck a glance at the silver-haired man behind him and threw him a question, "Did something happened? What changed your mind?"

"…Lord Lonato did," Ashe answered, his voice becoming a mere whisper. "He made me realize…that I can't keep holding onto things that don't matter or hold value. In this world, there are only two things that are irreplaceable and are worth more than anything else,"

Claude whistled. "Alright, entertain me," He dared, shifting his eyes to look on ahead, "What are they?"

No response.

"Ashe?"

Closing his eyes for a moment, the silver-haired man began with, "It's the people who you are willing to accept into your life…" He trailed off, "And no matter how much you try to push them away or hate their guts, the ones who will always there to support you and forgive you, and make you feel at home…those are the people who matter most,"

Heaving another deep breath, he continued with his explanation. "As for the second one, well…it would have to be the things that remind you of those special people. For me, it's the photos and the lion plush that I have with me—two things that I hold close to my heart. Unlike the people, these things are easily disposable…but if thrown away, the memories would be gone with it,"

Swallowing thickly, Ashe fluttered his eyes wide open as he added, "There were times when I wanted to throw them out so I could focus on what I wanted to do next with my life…but never realized how difficult it was to do it. Throwing these things away, and the people along with it…is like scrapping away something that's already a part of you, ones that shaped you and impacted your life," He inhaled another deep breath, fumbling over his words.

"There can never be a price tag on any of them, because that's how rare they are to find in this world and in a world that's complicated as this, it's hard to find something that like, when you don't know who to trust or who might genuinely reciprocate back," Listening intently to his own words, Ashe broke into a smile, "And maybe that's why…it finally took me five years to realize that this whole time, the place that I kept running away from—is where I truly belong,"

Realizing what he had said, Ashe blinked and emitted a light-hearted chuckle. "Sorry for rambling about that,"

Claude shook his head, "I'm glad you were able to share something so personal with me," His hands strongly gripped onto the reins of the pegasi as if his life depended on it. "Despite how little we have left together before you know, we become enemies and stuff,"

"Then let's keep talking," Ashe suggested, much to the other's delight.

And for the duration of their ride, the two friends spent the little time they had left conversing with one another, knowing full well that the next time they see each other, they would be fighting against one another on opposite sides.

"…We're here!" Claude suddenly cried, jerking his chin over to his right direction.

Ashe quickly lifted his head up, his anticipation growing as his eyes sparkled. "We are?" And then proceeded to glance downwards. Through the sea of clouds, he noticed a long, winding wall separating the two great lands from intersecting. As they drew closer, he saw it—the border wall.

Tall and sturdy, though slightly weathered due to the long years since it was built and has since then, been used as a stronghold to keep possible invasions. Ashe dropped his mouth open, marveling at how far the wall seemed to stretch, going beyond as the eye could see.

Once they've safely landed on the ground, Claude was the first to climb down, followed by Ashe, who nearly stumbled over due to his inexperience with riding mounts.

Claude laughed. "You okay there, buddy?" He asked, coming over to assist him with his small bag.

"Yeah," Ashe responded with a smile, strapping the bag over his left shoulder and gripping it tightly. "Thanks for escorting me,"

Claude smiled. "It's not over yet, you know,"

Ashe blinked. "…It's not?"

Flashing a grin, he nodded. "Yeah, you still need to cross through," He explained, pointing his thumb behind him to refer to the border wall. Snaking his arm over his scrawny shoulder, his friend ushered him to the entrance where they encountered a stern-looking soldier.

"Who goes there?" He cried, raising his bronze lance toward them.

"Don't worry, I got this," Claude assured the latter next to him as he removed his hold from him, took the liberty to sweet-talk the soldier. As always, he made their journey go a lot swifter, and it didn't take long until they were able to gain permission to pass through. As Claude thanked the soldier and led the way once more, Ashe couldn't help but grow a bit suspicious of his friend's intentions and it became even more heightened when they entered inside the base. He narrowed his eyes and trained them ahead, ignoring the intense stares of the other soldiers surrounding them, and it didn't seem to help when there was Claude humming along as they strolled to the other end of the building, where they found the iron gate.

Again, Claude excused himself to approach a nearby soldier and asked him to elevate the iron gate for them. Though they were speaking softly to one another, Ashe couldn't help but wonder if there was something more to it. This wasn't the first time he's questioned about his friend, who would often exhibit traits and mannerisms that were either convoluted or too good to be true—or by his personal definition, how there seems to more to him than what meets the eye.

In this case, their entire journey from fleeing Riegan Manor to the border wall was too basic, especially for someone like Claude who was always up for a little challenge or when it comes to the battlefield, liven things up with something difficult.

…So, where was it?

Where was the difficulty, from start to finish?

Unless there was more to it…

A loud, cranking erupted, causing Ashe to flinch from his spot and for Claude to emit a burst of laughter. The two friends watched as the iron gate in front of them was slightly lifted above their heads, and then stopped in the middle to make it easier to lower it back down.

Walking back over to his friend, Claude set his hands on his hips and sighed. "And now, we start the waiting game," He drawled out, scratching the back of his neck, followed by a long sigh. "Wonder how long that's gonna take?" He turned to glance at Ashe, surprised to find the latter struggling to shoot him a menacing glare.

Cocking his head to the side, Claude asked what was wrong and if he was alright.

Hearing this, Ashe opened his mouth to say something, then stopped before veering down. Finally, he shook his head. "…Never mind," And then peered back up to gaze intensely at the barren wasteland cloaked in snow—to what was left of the Holy Kingdom of Faerghus, his home.

A cold gale blew in, and though the majority of the soldiers, including Claude, stiffened in their spots, Ashe remained where he stood, showing no signs of weakness to the wintry weather. He ignored the complaints regarding the cold, pushing them aside as they never seemed to matter to him. Even Claude, who he noticed to be visibly shaking next to him, seemed a little out of it.

Ashe gave him a look, a blank one, before reverting his attention back to the barren wasteland of his home…remaining oblivious to the wry glance that the latter was giving to him in return.

With the absence of light, there was no telling who might appear in front of them,

Ashe chewed on his bottom lip, taking a step forward as he frantically looked around the area, his eyes lingering from the earthly grounds to the majestic peaks of the craggy mountains before them.

"Sir, we need to close it now!" A soldier cried from nearby, gaining their attention.

Ashe frowned, pinching his eyebrows together as he opened his mouth to protest and—

"Just a little longer!" Claude exclaimed, surprising him. "Give us a little more time!"

Ashe observed his friend who continued to shake violently from the cold, and as their eyes made contact, Claude emitted a comforting grin.

The silver-haired man blinked, quite a bit surprised, though was quick to reciprocate with a smile of his own. Nodding their heads in unison, the two stared back out at Faerghus, patiently waiting, hoping, praying for anything or anyone to magically materialize before them.

And then he heard it—the faint, subtle movements.

Squinting his eyes, Ashe leaned a bit closer.

Hidden in the mist was a group of shadows, and as he focused in on them, a trace of a smile adorned across his flushed face as he watched the strange-looking silhouettes transform into a herd of stallions. A loud neighing came from high above and quickly, he raised his head. Upon sighting the familiar colors of white and blue, his heart pounded against his chest.

Ingrid was here…which meant only one thing.

"They're here…" Ashe muttered as a wave of relief washed over him. Quickly, he turned around to face his friend, his expression brimming with eagerness. "They're here, Claude!"

A smile slipped through the other's features, nodding along in agreement. "I can see that," And glanced back to the latter. "Guess it's time, huh?"

Taking notice of the dark-skinned man's downcast look, Ashe swallowed thickly. "I'm afraid so…" He trailed off as he was hit with an intense feeling inside his chest. He looked back out into the distance, his grin lengthening in size as he watched the stallions halted a few meters away from where they were, and carefully studied each of their riders as they leaped out and began to head straight toward their general direction.

Ashe couldn't believe it.

Mercedes and Annette, Ingrid and Sylvain, Felix and Dedue, Lord Dimitri and Byleth, and even Bernadetta—every single one of them, representing the House of the Blue Lions—they were all here, together in one place.

There was a great distance between them, and all he had to do was run.

Slowly, Ashe turned to glance at his friend. "So, this is goodbye, huh?" And then stretched out his hand for him to shake. "Thank you for everything, Claude,"

His friend motioned his head to look at him and smiled, taking a step forth to close the gap between them. "I should thank you too," He replied back, with a strange glint in his eyes. He released a light snicker as he immediately enveloped the latter into a tight embrace. "No hard feelings?"

Ashe stood there, quite baffled by this sudden move and with slowly, returned the gesture. "No hard feelings," He replied back.

"I'm gonna miss you, bud," Claude commented, tightening his hold on him. Leaning in close, he whispered softly in his ear, "You've fulfilled the role of a bait quite marvelously,"

Ashe's eyes widened and as they broke away from one another, he stared at his friend in horror. "What are you— "

He paused mid-sentence as he felt something foreign digging inside of him and as he lowered his gaze, was startled to find a small dagger kissing his flesh. He held his breath as he slowly looked back up to face Claude who simply smiled.

"…Claude?"

Equipped with the dagger, the latter twisted the blade in his hands, forcing Ashe to bellow aloud as he quaked intensely to the pain.

From far away, he heard a loud shriek belonging to Annette and Bernadetta.

Too shaken to comprehend what was happening, Ashe forced himself to look out into the distance and there, he saw one of his friends drop down to their knees and sobbed uncontrollably, with some tightening their grip on their weapons, itching to give the one who had hurt him a piece of their minds. Then, there was Byleth…

As he stared longingly at his friends who were too far away to get to him, Claude took this opportunity to drill the dagger deeper and deeper into his abdomen, and once more, Ashe threw his head back as a painstaking scream fled from his mouth.

He wriggled from his spot as a wave of scorching pain electrified inside him—the pain surging from his wound had spawned throughout his body. With his throat running dry from his erratic screaming, he eventually sank to his knees, his vision growing blurry with every passing second.

Ashe breathed deeply, trying to control his breathing…but it wasn't working.

"I told you not to trust me and you did," Claude brought up, causing the poor young man to turn frozen.

Clenching his teeth, Ashe forced himself to peer upwards, surprised to find Claude squatting down to his knees, twirling the dagger playfully around with his right hand…with a few droplets of his own blood splattering across his slightly pale face.

"Sorry it had to be like this, bud," Claude spoke in a soft tone, his eyes dull and devoid of the warmth…and yet, the usual, amiable smile lingered on his lips, as if to mock him. "Maybe in a different life, we could've been great friends, you know?" He eyed his friend, who fiercely gritted his teeth as he attempted to apply pressure onto the fresh wound on his abdomen, his bare hands gradually becoming tainted with his own blood.

Claude loomed over him, searching from head to toe until eventually settling with having to rip off a piece of the other's sleeve before rising to his feet, cleanly wiping away the blood on the silver tongue of his dagger—the bloody red merging wonderfully with maroon. He turned to glance at the approaching figures, then back at Ashe who buried his face against the ground, shaking violently on his spot.

"Sir,"

Claude looked the other way to find a few soldiers already armed and prepared to quell the incoming invaders. He creased his eyebrows, turning silent for a moment.

"…No," He said finally, followed by the shake of his head and angling his body, made his way over to Ashe, who was close to the brim of losing consciousness.

Claude stared at his poor friend, inhaling a deep breath as he tried to hold it together. He produced a tiny smile as he found himself becoming wrapped up by a swarm of memories—of both of them bonding inside the library, of him teaching Ashe how to properly use a bow to aim for his target, and of them simply hanging out and causing mischiefs, and as more and more of those kept resurfacing from the back of his mind, he forced himself to swallow his pride.

Veering downward, his eyes softened. "I hope you can forgive me…" He murmured, too quiet for the soldiers around them to pick up.

And with that said, Claude raised his head, his eyes trained ahead on the leader of the lions—of Dimitri whose eyes were raging with fury upon witnessing what he had done.

"Hate me all you want," He spoke to himself, with his gaze directly at the other house leader. "Let it fuel you and force you to keep fighting until you can no longer do so…" Masking his heartbreak, he reinforced another amiable grin and refocusing his attention back to the heavily winded young man, he mumbled a soft, "Farewell, my friend," And then proceeded to kick him out from the border wall and into the cold terrain, before quickly racing off as he signaled for the soldiers to lower the iron gates.

Claude watched with a listless expression as Dimitri advanced forward, leaving the rest of his team to take care of their unconscious member, with his mind dead set to wreak havoc on the perpetrator

As soon as the iron gates were locked in, the wild lion released a thunderous roar directly at his face…and yet, it held no effect to the latter on the other side.

Dimitri thrashed about, slamming himself in frustration against the strength of the iron gate, but no matter how much he tried, there seemed to be no signs of the iron gate from breaking.

On the other side, Claude remained still and despite the growing warnings of the soldiers around him, he confronted death. Bringing his arm over his chest, the dark-skinned man did something that shocked the others—he bowed his head until it met the ground. For a few brief seconds, Dimitri was confused, loosening and retightening his hold onto the iron bars that divided them.

Raising his head high, Claude gave him a sorrowful look. "Take him home," And picking him up, forced out a bright grin. "And take good care of him, will you?" Tilting his head closer to his left, he spotted the former instructor Byleth and smiled, giving her a polite bow. Pocketing the bloody fabric inside his pants, he turned around and walked away without another word.

Claude kept moving, even when the soldiers proclaimed for the drawbridge to be lifted…but once he stepped out from the clearing, he paused for a moment to peer over his shoulder and by then, the border was already closed and his friend was no longer within his range of sight.

Upon realizing what he had done, Claude forced his legs to keep moving, angling his body to head to the nearest stone wall and without thinking, punched his fist against it.

And again.

And then again.

And many more than he could count.

…Until he could no longer have the strength to keep doing so, and his bare knuckles went numb, full of blisters and gashed with his own raw blood. Slightly winded, Claude pressed his forehead gently on the wall and closed his eyes, and just for a few seconds of peace, allowed himself to cry.

* * *

Everything happened so fast.

One minute, he was observing his old friends running straight for him, then things turned for the worst when Claude stabbed him, and before he knew it, he found himself in the middle of the terrain, to the native land he was born and raised—the Holy Kingdom of Faerghus. He could feel the scarlet liquid leaking over his fingertips that were already covered with dried blood, and as the sweet tang of the blood tingled in his nostrils, Ashe closed his eyes tightly, his guttural chokes mixed with an agonized cry.

Looking up into the orange-tinted sky, Ashe gasped for air. As much as he desperately wanted to move, he knew that he did, even for a tiny inch, the intense pain and the overflowing of blood would only grow worse and by then, more blood would've spilled. A ringing sound reverberated in his ears, making his head spin.

There was a strange collision of colors in front of him, accompanied by a multitude of voices in every direction. Ashe cringed, growing tense as he could feel a migraine kicking in.

A warm hand was placed over his forehead, and then another over his fresh wound. His breathing hitched when he noticed a strange glow emanating from somewhere…but where was it coming from?

_"Ashe, we're here!"_

The silver-haired man furrowed his eyebrows. Was that…Ingrid?

_"Ashe, please don't give up!"_

There it was again, but softer and almost motherly. Could it be Mercedes?

_"Come on, dammit! I thought you were stronger than this!"_

All Ashe could do was chuckle to himself. Yup, there's no doubt about it—definitely Felix.

_"Don't worry, little man! We've got you!"_

And of course, there was Sylvain.

_"Ashe, don't move!"_

Wait, and is that Annette?

_"…We're here,"_

That's Dedue, and if he's here, then that must also mean…

_"You're going to be alright now,"_

That kind of voice belonging to their house leader—Lord Dimitri.

His vision grew blurrier by the minute, and as he was ready to close his eyes, his ears picked up a mix of voices.

_"No, don't close your eyes!"_

_"Ashe, please be strong!"_

_"Don't you dare close them!"_

_"Ashe…oh, Ashe…"_

Mustering the last bit of energy that he had left inside of him, the silver-haired man slowly craned his head to look up, and lo and behold, here they were—the Blue Lions surrounding him, with Mercedes and Annette reciting prayers to conjure healing magic on him, with the others, Felix, Sylvain, Ingrid, and even Bernadetta pressed their hands onto his fresh wound in hopes to prevent the blood from leaking any further.

Despite how blurry his vision was, he knew that it was them…and that alone made him smile. Inhaling another ragged breath, he attempted to say something, anything…but nothing came out.

Tears started to leak from the corner of his eyes, shaking his head a little as he was determined to speak out his true feelings to them. No matter what, he wanted them to hear these words of his before…

He opened his mouth again, only this time, a cough came out which alerted the others right away.

_"Ashe!"_

_"You're awake!"_

_"Oh, thank goodness!"_

_"There's our little man!"_

Ashe crinkled another smile, and as he motioned his head to the right, he caught a glimpse of Lord Dimitri, who came over with his thick, blue fur coat removed and as the others provided some space, their house leader proceeded to carefully cover his slightly shivering body to secure him with warmth. Ashe furrowed his eyebrows, determined to get his message across to them.

He could feel his eyes growing heavier, and yet, the feeling of fatigue was devouring him alive. He needed to sleep, right? And maybe later, he could…tell them…how much he misses them and…

_"ASHE, NO!"_

To say…

_"DON'T GIVE UP!"_

How much…

_"PLEASE DON'T DO IT!"_

They meant to him…

Something warm was gently placed on his forehead, and for some reason, it managed to calm him down. From deep inside his chest, the warmth welcomed him like an old friend. Completely exhausted, he looked over to his left and there she was, and though the color of her hair looked quite different, he could never forget that motherly smile she always wore…

"You're going to be alright," Byleth assured him and with her other hand, planted it on top of his own, gently stroking her thumb along the pale surface. "I'll take care of everything so for now, take a rest," She stopped for a moment as she choked back on her words. "I'm so proud of you,"

Drawing his final, last breath out, Ashe produced a true smile…and just like that, he succumbed to the darkness.

* * *

He was back at the place where it all started—Garreg Mach Monastery.

"Yo, Ashe!"

Alarmed, the young silver-haired boy turned to the direction of the voice. "Claude?"

Indeed, there he was…err, his younger self, donning the standard school attire. Behind him were the other members of the Golden Deer.

"There you are!" Hilda exclaimed, coming over to hug him from behind. "We've been looking all over for you!"

Ashe emitted a sheepish grin. "You have?"

Raphael and Ignatz nodded their heads in unison.

"Come on, the class is about to start," Together, the two friends assisted the baffled-looking boy from the bench he was sitting on, and allowed them to guide the way, with Claude and the others trailing after them.

As they ventured through the great halls, he heard the abundance of laughter coming nearby. A few minutes later, he spotted the yellow banners depicting the deer coming into view. He slightly dipped his chin, chewing on his bottom lip. That's right, this is where he belongs now.

Closing his eyes, he waited for Raphael and Ignatz to angle over to the right, leading him inside their classroom where Professor Hanneman would be, ready to lecture them…

Another minute passed and to his surprise, it never came.

"Hey, uh…guys?" Ashe drawled out, pausing midway in his tracks and looking up to face his friends with a concerned look. "Our classroom's that way,"

"We know," Lysithea chimed in, coming over to give him a side-glance. "But it isn't yours,"

Ashe blinked. "…It's not?" And peered up, his heart throbbing the closer they got to a familiar place.

The blue banners, and engraved at the center was the proud insignia of a lion…and there, waiting for him near the opening of the classroom were his old friends—Lord Dimitri, Dedue, Felix, Mercedes, Annette, Sylvain, Ingrid…and standing in front of them was none other than Byleth, holding a clipped board under her right arm and with her left hand resting idly on the pommel of her sword encrusted of dragon bones.

And to his surprise, Raphael and Ignatz stopped and released their hold on him. Completely shocked, Ashe turned back to look at the members of the Golden Deer—Hilda, Lorenz, Lysithea, Marianne, Raphael, Ignatz…and then there was Claude who took the initiative to take a few steps forward.

"Go on," The dark-skinned man encouraged him, jerking his chin over to the classroom. "In you go, bud,"

"I don't get it…" Ashe trailed off, not quite understanding what's happening right now. "What did I do wrong?" He studied each and every face of his friends and instructor, but to his disappointment, none of them gave him a proper answer.

"Ashe,"

Immediately, the young boy stood frozen. Ever so slowly, he motioned his head to where the voice was coming from…and there, inside of the classroom of the Blue Lions, was none other than—

"FATHER!"

Unable to contain his excitement, Ashe leaped forward with his arms open wide, ready to tackle him right then and there…only to pass through him like a ghost. His steps slowed from a frantic pace as he hastily moved his head back, sadness clouding his features upon realizing that he couldn't feel or touch his beloved father. "I don't get it…" He trailed off, pursing his lips. "We're finally together again!"

Lonato softened his expression. "It's not your time yet, my son," He spoke in a gentle voice as he approached the younger boy. "But you should know, wherever you may be, I'll always be watching over you,"

Ashe shook his head, taking a step forward. "But that's…"

"Those people have been waiting here for you for an awfully long time," Lonato pressed on, referring to the group of his old friends who watched them from afar. He glanced back at his son who stared at him with a dumbfounded look. "You should get going,"

Ashe opened his mouth to protest, and then darkness came and took everything away.

The entire classroom, his friends from the Golden Deer, his second family from the Blue Lions, then Byleth, and finally Lord Lonato who produced a bittersweet smile and mouthed, "I love you", to him before vanishing into thin air.

In the blink of an eye, he found himself within the abyss of darkness.

He was all alone.

"FATHER!" Ashe exclaimed with all his might, running about as he desperately searched for an exit to get him out of here and return to the light.

As if hearing his prayers, it came…in the form of a voice, soft and soothing.

There she was—the image of Byleth, her dark blue hair magically altered into a glowing, bright green hue. And she wasn't alone…surrounding her were each and every member of the Blue Lions, their school attires changing from what he was accustomed with and to the ones that he had seen them wore, fur coats and whatnot.

Ashe stood there in awe as the nine individuals approached him to form a circle with him at the center. Halting simultaneously, they offered their hands out for him to take.

"Let's hurry back to class, Ashe!" The short, orange-haired girl beamed.

The tall redhead next to her laughed. "Bet I could run there faster!"

Processing her words, the blonde girl rolled her eyes. "Don't even think about it, Sylvain,"

"We mustn't keep Professor waiting," Mercedes joined in, smiling warmly.

"Geez, why can't we just skip a day and spar?" Felix groaned, crossing his arms over his chest.

Dimitri drew out an exasperated breath. "I'm going to class, and so are you," He chided back, shooting his childhood best friend a glare.

From the corner of his eye, he noticed the shy Bernadetta, who brought a textbook close to her chest and though she was cowering from behind it, he could tell that she was fighting back the urge to giggle at their commotion.

So much warmth…

So much hope…

They were all here with him, together…the people who took him in and accepted him, gave him a second chance, the very same ones who made him feel alive and whole.

"Ashe,"

The young boy looked over to his left to discover the older woman produce a smile at his direction. Tipping her head, and with her eyes softening, she said in a motherly tone, "Let's go home,"

This time, he could feel something warm and radiant within him. With a nod of his head and a smile gracing across his features, he courageously took a step toward her. And then another, and another, until finally—

"Yeah," He replied and graciously accepted her hand.

A blast of pure bright light invaded, swallowing him and the Blue Lions, and everything else in whole.

Closing his eyes for the umpteenth time, Ashe exhaled the breath he'd been holding in surrendering to the bright light that would take him back to where he needed to go…

* * *

**Don't worry, it's not over. Once you've finished reading this, I will be putting up the last and final chapter as we speak-I call it the secret ending.**

**Writing everything for this chapter was just...well, I really have no words. But whatever it is, it's best to explain it through Claude's actions at the end.**

**And to put simply, there are no good nor bad guys in this fanfic, but merely morally grey ones and I hope that I was able to exert that theme into this fanfic as much as I could!**

**Once again, I would like to thank the readers-a shoutout to paya for her wonderful comments, as well as to express my gratitude for the others with kudos/comments! Thank you for granting me enough strength and encouragement to keep writing until the very end!**

**Please leave any kudos/comments if you'd like!**  
**Thank you so much for reading and have a wonderful day!**


	6. Epilogue

**Welcome to the finish line!**  
**And part 2/final part of the original 5th chapter.**

**For suggested songs to listen to, I highly recommend the two songs - 'Your Heart Will Lead You Home' by Kenny Lodgins, and 'My Wish' cover by Alyssa Falcone (POV from the Golden Deer to Ashe). As for instrumental, I recommend listening to 'With the Stars and Us' (piano version) from Persona 5 (without this song, I wouldn't have been able to capture the sentimental scenes for both chapters of 5 and 6). So if you'd like, feel free to listen to them! If not, that's fine as well!**

**This is all for now.**

**Enjoy the rest of the story, and as always, thank you so much for waiting and your overwhelming support!**  
**Here, I present to you-the final chapter of Place Called Home!**

* * *

A cold, eerie wind whisked through the half-opened window vent, awakening a sleeping young man on the bed. Ashe stirred, lifting his right hand and placed it over his temple, wailing a low groan.

His body ached all over, pain swelling from head to toe.

Blinking a few times, he forced himself to sat upright, though was quick to lay back down when he felt a wave of pain tightening in his lower abdomen. Veering his gaze down, he was surprised to find himself no longer wearing his old-school uniform, and instead, his chest was exposed open, revealing his fair skin and slightly toned chest, though the lower part of his torso was wrapped tightly in bandages. Gulping, Ashe pushed the covers of his blanket, with a sigh of relief following after once he discovered that he was still donning pants. Looking up, he glanced around, blinking his eyes a few times as he tried to make sense of his surroundings.

"Where…am I?" He murmured, followed by a loud yawn escaping from his throat. His hand unconsciously made its way over his forehead, and to his surprise, he felt the binding wrappings of the bandages around the crown of his head. Fear gripped in his stomach as utter confusion began to settle in, his pupils scanning frantically about. And yet, for some strange reason, this place felt sort of familiar…but he couldn't seem to figure out why.

"I'm dead, right?" He asked himself, raking through his silver hair. "So, what is this?"

Glancing at his right, his mouth partly open the instant he recognized the familiar banner hanging on the wall—the color of blue, displaying the proud symbol of a lion.

The door creaked open disrupted his thoughts.

Quickly, Ashe motioned his head, bewildered to find Bernadetta casually entering the room…and once they made contact, the latter stood frozen still.

Ashe nervously emitted a burst of light-hearted laughter. "Uh…hello?" He greeted her, along with a weak wave.

Blinking, the short violet-haired woman mustered a tiny smile, bowing her head in reply with light tinges of red adorning her cheeks. "…Excuse me," She mumbled, though loud enough for him to hear and closed the door back again. He frowned a little, and it wasn't long until he heard her light footsteps echoing resonating through the halls that it caused him to panicky.

"Ah, wait!" Ashe cried, frantically rushing out from the bed. "Come back!" The instant he got up from his feet, he fell downward, crashing into the carpeted flooring. He snaked his hand over to his lower torso, curling up into a fetal position as he released another low groan.

A few minutes later, the door burst opened, and with it came the arrival of familiar voices.

"Ashe!"

"Hey, you alright there?"

"Are you hurt?"

Clenching his teeth, Ashe forced himself to crack one eye open and as he slowly peered up, opened the other. As he caught sight of his old three friends—Annette, Sylvain, and Mercedes—in front of him, he couldn't help but smile…only for it to dissipate quickly as he felt the pain intensifying inside him.

"Sylvain, help me bring Ashe back on the bed!" Mercedes exclaimed, grabbing a nearby stool to sit near the edge of the mattress.

Adhering her words, Sylvain did what he was told. "Alright, little man, let's get you back here…" Ever so carefully, he hoisted the other male into his arms, and once he got his friend nestled in comfortably, he made his way over to the bed to place him down.

Silence filled the room as Ashe tried to steady his breathing, closing his eyes halfway as he brought his hand to his bandaged stomach, an implication of where he got severely stabbed.

A pair of warm hands were placed on top of his. Ashe frowned a little and as he turned to look the other way, was met with the comforting smile of Mercedes who softly recited a prayer under her breath and a minute later, a large white circle inscribed with ancient formula encircled around his form. Ashe clicked his tongue, tightening his grip on Mercedes's hand, as she magically cast a healing spell to mend the remaining pain he had left.

Slowly, but surely, the scorching pain dwindled and as Ashe managed to let out an exasperated breath, sinking back into the welcoming embrace of the mattress. He propped his head to the side, getting a good look at his three friends who seemed to be preoccupied collecting the pillows together and then placing it behind his head, which granted him a more befitting view to see them.

"You okay?" Annette spoke up, her eyes filled with concern, "Do you need anything?'

"You must be hungry," Mercedes chimed in, her voice soft and melodic. "What are you craving for?"

"How're you feeling right now?" Sylvain followed after, creasing his eyebrows.

Ashe cringed as he heard them speak at once, and as their voices gradually died out, all he could do was offer them a weak grin. "I'm fine, it's okay," He assured, chuckling lightly. "Everything's good,"

Shortly after he delivered his words, more people entered the room. Ashe shifted his attention over, and the second he recognized their faces, his face lit up with joy.

"Dedue, Felix," He addressed them one by one as they maneuvered over to his side, with Dedue standing close to their house leader who walked a bit closer to the end of the bed frame, and Felix situating himself by leaning against the wall, next to the blue banner.

"Ingrid, Lord Dimitri…" He went on, keenly observing his other friends—the blonde woman heading over to sit down on the empty space between Annette and Mercedes, her hand pressed lightly on Sylvain's shoulder blade who squatted down to his knees.

And then she came—Byleth, along with Bernadetta, strode inside the room, their gazes fixated on the young man who laid in bed.

Bernadetta quickly excused herself to sit behind Annette who was quick to squirm over to give her more space, while Byleth grabbed another stool from under the coffee table and made her way over to where Mercedes was sitting who scooted a little closer to her right. Once everyone was settled in, they focused their full attention on Ashe who looked back at them with a dazed expression.

"You're all here…" He managed to say, his eyes becoming glossy. "Is this heaven?"

Byleth inclined forward, collecting his hands together with hers and squeezed it fiercely. "No," She answered, smiling sincerely. "This is real, Ashe,"

Ashe choked on his words. "R-really?" He saw his friends nodding their heads in unison, with some smiling and chuckling after. Drowning in their sea of laughter, he lowered his chin to take notice of Byleth's hands jointed with his.

"…I'm sorry," He finally spoke, gaining the attention of the entire room. "I did so many awful things and…" He heaved a deep breath in, "I chose the Golden Deer over you guys, and each time you kept asking me to come back, I kept running away," He could feel his stomach beginning to constrict and his throat becoming parched the more he was persistent to voice out his concerns, "I'll understand if you guys won't forgive me or furious with me,"

Registering his words, Mercedes crinkled her smile. "We were never angry with you," She assured him, reaching out to place her hand on his, the same way as their instructor had done earlier. "Don't think that way,"

"We were sad…" Annette began, bringing her hand to her heart and as she looked up to meet her dear friend's gaze, continued with, "Because we were afraid that you lost your way,"

Ashe furrowed his eyebrows. "But I did lose my way," He points out, and as he searched around, he noticed Sylvain flash him a rewarding grin.

"So what?" The redhead pressed on, "What matters is that you found it again,"

At that moment, Felix snorted. "Yeah, took you long enough…" He muttered, looking elsewhere. From the corner of his eye, he noticed his three childhood friends shoot him a side glance and taking notice of this, the swordsman groaned. "Look, what I mean to say is that you're here now," He clarified, readjusting his stance against the wall across from them.

Rolling her eyes at his poor statement, Ingrid gave Ashe a sincere look. "Adding on to what Felix just said, you did it all by yourself,"

"We couldn't be more proud," Dedue stepped in, his stern face slightly thawing to exhibit a gentle look.

Next to him stood Dimitri, who seized this opportunity to speak up as well, "You found your way back to us," He explained, his tone of voice surprisingly warm and kind as Ashe remembered it to be, a complete contrast to his barbaric appearance. "And that's all that matters,"

Taking their words in, Ashe struggled to breathe properly, close to the brink of tears. Finally, he faced the older woman sitting closest to him, and as he watched her mouth open, he was quick to interrupt her.

"I'm sorry," He admitted to her, "I know it's long overdue, but I just want to say how sorry…for not telling you everything sooner and…" He paused briefly in his sentence as he inhaled another deep breath in. "I shouldn't have judged you quickly, nor ran away whenever I saw you…and I'm just…" Fighting the urge to break down right then and there, Ashe decided to conclude his speech with another apology.

"No, it's not your fault," Byleth told him and reached out to pat him on the head. "If I were you, I would've done the same thing."

Hearing this, Ashe slowly peered up to lock eyes with her.

When she realized that she got his attention, she continued with, "I should be the one apologizing for putting you in misery. As a teacher, my duty is to take care of you and protect you from danger…" As she trailed off, she became reminded of the last few words Lord Lonato had told her in the battlefield, and how it tormented her, knowing that what she was about to say next might tear the latter apart.

"Your father, Lord Lonato…he insists me to kill him, claiming that if I didn't do so, the Church of Seiros would've used publicly executed him as an example for the people," She closed her eyes, her heart beating wildly against her chest as she delivered her next few words, "He only had one regret…and it was leaving his son all by himself,"

Ashe didn't respond, and yet his silence spoke volumes to Byleth and the rest of the Blue Lions. Slightly shaking and his lips quivering, Ashe inclined his head a bit forward, and closing his eyes shut, held tightly to Byleth and Mercedes's hands for dear life…and slowly, more warmth was placed on top of his. And then another, and another, and so forth.

Craning his head a little, Ashe watched the Blue Lions, his family move in together, closing in to place their hands over his and tightening them. Even Bernadetta joined along, and although he didn't get bond as much with her compared to the rest, her presence proved to be crucial as well…and just like him, she was welcomed and accepted by the Blue Lions with open arms, and in a way, he could somehow sympathize with her.

Another silence loomed in as the group remained in place, holding close to one another and relishing this peaceful moment. A few minutes later, and they eventually broke away, with the exception of their former instructor, Byleth, who proceeded to present a paper toward Ashe.

"Here," She encouraged him, "For you,"

Curious, Ashe accepted the paper from her hand and lowering his gaze, began to inspect it.

There were a series of long paragraphs, and on the bottom of the square-shaped box was a series of nine signatures with a bit of flare, some were messy and large while others were nicely written with cursive letterings. It suddenly dawned to him that these signatures belonged to each and every member of the Blue Lions, including from Bernadetta with her adorable, messy handwriting and Byleth, with her name inscribed at the midpoint.

Ashe furrowed his eyebrows, quite uncertain as to what this paper was supposed to represent. He looked up and as he caught sight of the others, he was surprised to see them smile back in return.

"What's this?" He wondered aloud, referring to the paper in his hands.

To his surprise, his question caused everyone to widen their smiles even more. He watched as nine of them exchanged quick glances with one another, with Sylvain nudging on Felix and Dimitri playfully, and Annette, Bernadetta, and Mercedes giggling with Ingrid and Dedue nodding their heads in unison. And then there was Byleth, who kept her motherly gaze on him.

"Check the top of the page," She hinted, her eyes twinkling.

Ashe frowned for a moment, still unsure as to what her words meant. Even so, he followed her instructions and as his eyes lingered a little upwards, he could've sworn that his heart skipped a beat.

Why didn't he notice it sooner?

There, engraved at the very top of the paper were two bold words—

**ADOPTION PAPERS**

"This might be a bit late," Byleth spoke up, smiling brightly as she saw Ashe slightly peer up to face her with a shocked look. "But we all pitched in to become your guardians, as a reminder that you're not alone and that you'll always have us,"

"Which means you've got all of our surnames!" Sylvain came in, laughing away. "Isn't that great or what?"

Silence.

"…Ashe?"

As he lifted his chin up, his old friends were surprised to find tears flowing down his crimson cheeks. Ignoring the burning sensation inside of him, Ashe couldn't help but allow a burst of light-hearted laughter to escape from his dry throat, startling the others.

Concerned, the group looked at each other before returning their attention to the young man on the bed.

Once his laughter had come to a close, Ashe looked up to face them and with a bright grin, began with, "You didn't need to do this, you know," And then proceeded to gesture his arms over to their general direction. "I don't need a paper to tell me where I belong because I already know," He didn't bother to wipe away the tears that continued to leak down on his cheeks as he was overwhelmed with an indescribable feeling of happiness spawning within him. "And it's here…" He stated, his voice ringing with truth, "…with all of you,"

Pushing aside the blankets, the silver-haired man moved closer to their former instructor and opening his arms wide, enveloped her into his embrace with his chin gliding over to the crook of her exposed neck. Seconds later, he felt her arms snake their way around his torso, holding him close as he set her chin on top of his head, humming softly as she smiled at his radiant warmth.

Eventually, more of the other members took part, with Felix being the first to reach out to press his hand on Ashe's left shoulder blade, with Dimitri performing the same act on the opposing shoulder. Next came Sylvain with his funny little way of showing his affection by ruffling his old friend's silver hair, and then there was Ingrid, Annette, and Bernadetta who came over to hug him on the sides. And though they didn't take part in the hugging circle, Mercedes and Dedue exchanged looks and nodded in unison before reverting their eyes to look on, capturing the moment in front of them.

"Welcome home, Ashe," Byleth whispered softly in his ear, and he heard it.

Once more, a flurry of warmth blossomed inside of him.

And he couldn't help but lengthened the size of his smile.

"**I'm home,"**

* * *

Leaning back on his leathered chair, Claude released an exasperated groan. Stretching his arms above his head, he slightly slanted his head to the side. At the sight of the large stack of documents laid on his front desk, all he could do was let out another groan.

Since the war began, the Councilmen insisted to run conferences at least three times per week and as the new leader of the Leicester Alliance, Claude was required to attend each one of them. Two months have passed since then and there seemed to be no end of these conferences, and shortly after being dismissed from one, Claude was granted with the responsibility to look over the papers before issuing them for legitimacy.

Growing aggravated with this, the dark-skinned man raked a hair through his disheveled hair.

"Geez, how much more do I have to do?" He murmured, followed by a low curse under his breath. He knew that there was more to the role of being a leader of a country, and yet, here he was, sitting behind the desk and scribbling down whatever the people needed him to do. He snickered, becoming reminded of his time at the Monastery, and how he used to skip the lectures to spend the majority of his time lounging about, and just simply having no care about anything else whatsoever.

Oh, if only he could go back to those innocent days…

Too consumed with his thoughts, he failed to take notice of the large doors opening, and as he propped his head up to take a look, it was already too late. He produced a big grin as he watched every single member of the Golden Deer approach him, with Hilda leading the way. Right away, Claude could feel the tension rising, especially taking notice of Marianne who quietly wandered back to the door to twist the knob, preventing anyone else from entering their private meeting.

Once his team was reassembled, Claude couldn't help but allow his eyes to linger at the empty space between Ignatz and Raphael, with the memory of a certain silver-haired boy resurfacing from the back of his mind. Sighing, he shook his head and forced himself to focus on the matter at hand.

"So? What brings you here on this fine morning?" He drawled out, rising from his leathered chair and walking around his desk to stand equally on par with them.

All of a sudden, Hilda thrusts the white envelope gripped in her right hand, startling him. But what surprised him the most was the expression etched on her face. Usually, the pink-haired woman wore an impish look, often accompanied by her tongue sticking out to express more of her mischievous nature…but none of it was there. Instead, it was replaced with something fierce and determined, and most of all, hope.

"Read this," She urged him, her voice full of authority.

Claude nodded, accepting the white envelope wholeheartedly. Looking down, he studied the surface of the envelope—inscribed at the middle was his name…but that didn't matter to him at all. The second he recognized the familiar handwriting, he quickly ripped off the edges, of the envelope and then proceeded to insert two of his fingers to snatch the written paper inside. Unfolding it, his eyebrows furrowed as he meticulously read the entirety of the paper. As he read the second paragraph, the corners of his lips slowly quirked up, producing a faint smile.

The others exchanged glances.

"What's wrong?" Lorenz suddenly cried, throwing their house leader an annoyed look. "What does it say?"

Hearing this, Claude looked up and beamed. He reverted his eyes back on the paper in his hands and clearing his throat, began to recite the letter word by word:

**_To the members of the Golden Deer_**

**_How's life faring back there at Riegan Manor? _**

**_More importantly, how's everyone doing? _**

**_Sorry, I took off without notice, but I just want you all to know that I'm alive, and still kicking. _**

**_The wound that I sustained near the border wall is closing up and in about two weeks, I'll be given permission by Lord Dimitri and Byleth to join them in the battlefield. It's going to be difficult adjusting, especially since this means that I'll have to be facing you guys now that we're on opposite sides. Even so, I would never forget the times that we've spent together, and the shenanigans we've undergone, and the memories—both the good and the bad, from senior year at the Monastery to the five-long-years to which we continue to preserve even to this day._**

**_Hilda, do you best in the future and be sure to let me know if your fashion bouquet runs well!_**

**_Lorenz, continue your pursuit without me. With or without a wingman, I'm confident that you can get the ladies on your own!_**

**_Raphael and Ignatz, be sure to notify me if your store is succeeding well. Once the war is over, I'll be sure to invest some of my money to your business!_**

**_Lysithea, keep your chin up and always strive for excellence. Always make sure to take deep breaths before your speeches and know that no matter what, I'll always be rooting for you!_**

**_Marianne, I'll be counting on the others to make you smile. Stay the way you are, because I have no doubt that your career as a successful botanist will skyrocket!_**

**_And finally, Claude. All I can say is, well—thank you._**

**_Thank you so much for taking me in and for always being there whenever I needed someone to lean on or console with. Thank you for being my mentor, my role model, my brother, and most importantly, my best friend. We may be apart now, but once the war is gone, I'll be sure to visit Riegan Manor and give you a big hug._**

**_And one more thing…_**

Claude's voice gradually died down for a moment, his once amiable expression turning blank as he quietly read the next few words to himself.

**_You don't need to worry anymore. _**

**_In fact, I already knew from the very start—about what led to the incident back at the border wall. A few nights ago, I overheard the Councilmen discussing how you should be the one to execute me. _**

**_And I guess…it was my fault too, for not telling you sooner. But by then, it was already too late. _**

**_The soldiers were there and had their eyes on you—expecting you to end me right then and there. And what you did was simply to secure your position, and to reinforce their trust on you._**

**_It's scarring, and frightening, but if it was able to help you in some way, then I guess I'm glad that it happened then. But thanks to you, I'm still standing._**

**_No matter what anyone says, you are a good man with a heart of gold._**

**_I'm finally home, stationed in the Monastery, together with the Blue Lions._**

**_By the time you've finished reading this, I implore you to burn it to avoid any repercussions that might hurt you and the others in the future._**

Worried, Ignatz called out his name but didn't receive an answer.

Through his ragged breathing, Claude continued reading the letter out loud…and thankfully, there were a few more sentences left.

**_I'm glad to have transferred to the Golden Deer._**

**_I'm glad to have met each and one of you._**

**_And I'm thankful for the many memories you've given me._**

**_Thank you for accepting me for being me._**

**_You guys are the best._**

**_See you soon._**

**_Ashe_**

Lowering the paper, Claude noticed the saddened expression on every member. He felt a pang of guilt, and for few brief seconds, allowed himself to exhibit sorrow, and a minute later, quickly reinforced it back with another amiable grin. "Come on, guys!" He exclaimed, forcing out laughter. "Lighten up, alright?"

As he took a step forward, something fell from the envelope.

Claude quirked an eyebrow. "What's this?" And crouched down to take hold of it.

Flipping the square-shaped print, his eyes slowly widened.

It was a picture of him, Ashe, and the Golden Deer…lounging in the Mess Hall, a bit younger and dressed in their formal, school attire. Examining the picture, a smile slipped across his lips as Claude starting to reflect—this was the day when Ashe transferred into their class, and to celebrate the occasion, Raphael brought up the idea of preparing a lunch special for the group.

Claude couldn't help but chuckle as he remembered how he suddenly came into the Mess Hall and upon locating their table, quickly brought the photo stand and the camera to capture it, before rushing off as he got spotted by the professors for infiltrating the storage room.

His eyes lingered on a certain silver-haired boy, who wore a dumb smile on his face as he was surrounded by his new band of friends…and then Claude realized how difficult it was going to be without him, especially in the Riegan Manor where he remained for the majority of his time.

Rising to his feet, Claude was quick to tackle his friends, extending his arms as far as he could to envelop them into his embrace. To his surprise and delight, the others reciprocated with some lightly patting him on the back and ruffling his hair.

Claude smiled, snuck a peek at the printed photo, then to the letter on his other hand before finally closing his eyes.

His friend, Ashe was in a better place.

But just for a little longer, he wanted to imagine what it was like if he chose to remain together with them and continue on with their days. As much as he wanted that to come true, he knew how farfetched the dream was.

And so, Claude encircled himself with the remaining friends he had left, hoping and praying that none of them would dare leave him again.

* * *

Ashe stood in front of the mirror, narrowing his eyes as he carefully inspected his new apparel.

Winterberry fur coat.

Dark brown shoulder pads

Dark leathered boots

And of course, his signature hoodie (thank goodness for Mercedes and her sewing skills)

Retreating a few steps back, the young silver-haired man smiled as he looked at himself in the mirror. Grinning brightly, he proceeded to strike a cool pose, puffing his cheeks as he raised his arms as if he was lifting weights.

"Having fun there?"

Ashe flinched in his spot, quickly whirling his head over to the opened door to find Felix, who wore a nonchalant look as he crossed his arms over his chest.

Blinking, Ashe emitted a light chuckle, "How long were you standing there?"

Felix thought for a moment, then shrugged his shoulders. "About two minutes,"

Ashe widened his eyes. That was precisely around the same time he was looking at himself in the mirror. "Felix,"

"Hmm?"

"Please don't tell anyone what you saw,"

Felix rolled his eyes. "I won't," He confirmed to him, "Unless you don't get your ass here, then I'm gonna tell— "

"Okay, okay!" Ashe cried, becoming quite flustered. "Just a sec!"

Rushing over to his bedside table, he pulled the first drawer out to seize a pair of brown gloves. As he quickly wore them on, he caught sight of the three pictures, along with the tiny lion plush, customized to resemble him, situated on the top of the table.

He slowly took them in, one by one—starting from the first picture of him with his late father, Lord Lonato, then the second picture of him together with the Blue Lions as freshmen, and then finally, the third picture…which was him together with his other friends, the Golden Deer. His eyes lingered on their shocked faces, and despite the blurriness (due to Claude having to come in and take the photo before rushing off), he could still see them as clear as day. A warm feeling was growing inside him, and he knew that it was time to move on.

With a smile etched on his face, Ashe turned away and marched forward, where Felix was waiting for him. After closing the door, the two men ventured through the great halls, chatting up quite a storm. Even more surprising, it was Felix who initiated their conversation as from what he could recall back in their school days, he wasn't much of a talker (except when it comes to expressing sarcastic remarks and insults).

"You nervous?"

Ashe emitted a light chuckle. "Well, it's going to be my first time, so…" Thinking it over, he quickly nodded his head. "Yeah, probably,"

The swordsman frowned, fixating his gaze to the path ahead of them. "Don't be so tense," He commented, followed by a snort. "As I said, you're stronger than you think,"

Ashe beamed. Pausing mid-step, he turned to face his friend and grinned. "Is that a compliment I hear?"

Felix quirked an eyebrow, not quite understanding what he was referring to. Eventually, it wasn't long until he realized what he had said as the tips of his ears started burning crimson. All of a sudden, he brought an arm over the latter's shoulder and upon closing the gap, proceeded to ruffle his silver hair rather violently with his right hand. "Forget what I said!"

All Ashe could do was laugh. "Okay, okay!" He replied back, "I give!"

A few minutes later, Sylvain and Ingrid joined in.

"Felix, what are you doing?" Ingrid cried out, darting over to rescue the poor man who looked like he was getting choked by her childhood friend. "Stop this right now!"

Felix rolled his eyes, and yet adhering her words, released his grip on the latter. Seconds later, Ashe felt something snake over his shoulder blade again, though was quick to recognize who it was the second he heard a light chuckle.

"You never change, do you?" Ashe points out to Sylvain, who flashed him a smirk. Behind them were Ingrid and Felix who seemed to be actively conversing with one another. "And let me guess, probably still skirt-chasing?"

"Actually…" Sylvain trailed off, his cheeks turning slightly red. "I sort of gave up on that,"

Ashe blinked. "Wait, what?"

"I'm committed to one person now," Sylvain explained, followed by jubilant laughter. "Actually, I'm going to be asking them the big question pretty soon,"

"Wait, really?" When he gained a nod, Ashe beamed. "Wait, how did this happen?"

"It's a long story," Sylvain explained, scratching the back of his head, "But I'll tell you everything after the ceremony, okay?"

Ashe nodded enthusiastically. "Yeah!" And then a thought occurred to him. "Wait, can you tell me who is it?"

Glancing back to face his awestruck friend, Sylvain pressed a finger over to his lips and winked. "It's a secret," And laughed away, unable to contain his excitement, despite Ashe's constant protests for him to spill the beans, with Felix and Ingrid silently observing them with faint smiles.

As they passed through the training grounds, they caught sight of Mercedes, Annette, and Bernadetta and as Sylvain yelled out their names to grab their attention, the three women hastily turned to their general direction. Smiling, the trio quickened their pace to join them. Similar to Sylvain and Ingrid, they seemed to be going to the same destination.

Annette was quick to latch her arm with Ashe's right arm, pulling him close and smiling brightly as she started to ramble on about she missed the times when they used to cause trouble. Looking over to his opposing left, he offered Mercedes his other arm to which the latter immediately warmed up to the idea, coming closer and smiling as she went on to clasp her hand together with Bernadetta who returned her gesture.

Once more, Ashe felt the warm sensation course through his body and with each step he took, he was reminded of his time with the other members of the Blue Lions. Once Sylvain started teasing Felix about his obvious crush on a certain individual, to which Annette was quick to jump on the bandwagon, it became quite a scene to find the usual stoic swordsman burning up as he refused to tell them anything, claiming that those were nothing but alleged speculations.

As they've reached the gardens, they found Dedue standing by his lonesome, staring at the large tree in front of him. Annette and Mercedes were quick to greet and encourage him to come over and join them, to which he nodded in response and headed straight for their group, yet another addition to their growing company.

"Do you recognize it?" Dedue asked out of the blue, directing his question to Ashe who looked back at him with a curious expression.

Sneaking a glimpse back at the gardens and sighting the large tree, he turned back to face the large man with a frown. It wasn't long until Dedue bestowed him a small sack containing a few more Fraxinus seeds, Ashe's eyes widened.

"Wait, you still have them?" He cried aloud, startling the others around them. "But how?"

Dedue cracked a smile. "If a friend gives you something, you cherish it with all your heart," He commented, pocketing the sack inside the pocket of his fur coat. "And you know, it's become one of my favorites to plant." Looking back to face his old friend, he added, "Do you know what's the meaning of Fraxinus?"

Ashe pitched his eyebrows together before eventually shaking his head. "Not really,"

Even so, Dedue bobbed his head again. "It is named after one of the strongest people I know in my life, the Ashe tree…and in some parts of the country, symbolizes health and rebirth," One more time, he motioned his head to take a look at his friend. His eyes softening, he added in, "Also known as the 'Tree of Life',"

Ashe heard this and mustered a tiny smile. "Thanks, big guy," He thanked, reaching out to pat him on the shoulder in assurance.

And with that said, smiles and laughter were rekindled within the group, and it remained that way for the duration of their journey to the Church. Upon entering the sacred building, Ashe instantly spotted Lord Dimitri standing at the center together with a male saint, holding a ceremonial sword with his dominant hand. Next to him was Byleth who watched as her former students made their way over to them.

The closer they got to the end of the church, the more Ashe felt nervous.

"Relax, you've got this!" Annette encouraged him.

"We're here for you," Mercedes chimed in.

"You can do it, little man!" Sylvain came in.

Ingrid nodded shortly after. "Don't fret and run,"

"Just get it over and done with," Felix comments, despite the small crinkle of a smile.

"We're rooting for you," Bernadetta joined along, patting him on the back.

And Dedue nodded, "It's up to you now,"

The words of his friends triggered Ashe to gain a little bit more confidence in himself, and as he leisurely walked up to the small steps, the rest of the members slowed down their pace, their eyes set directly on the silver-haired young man who was ready to face whatever challenge was going to come at him.

Once he approached their house leader, Ashe gave him a firm nod and just like that, bend down to his knee, lowering down his head and closing his eyes.

Glancing over to Byleth, who gave a nod in confirmation, Dimitri reverted his attention to Ashe. Slowly, he raised the ceremonial sword above him and ever so carefully, planted the tip of the sword from one end of his shoulder, and then to the other.

"By the power invested in me, as the Prince of the Holy Kingdom of Faerghus and the House Leader of the Blue Lions," Dimitri declared, his voice booming within the confined space of the church. "May I present Ashe Duran-Blaiddyd-Molinaro-Fraldarius-Marlitz-Dominique-Gautier-Galatea," With a prideful smile, he dropped the sword, bringing the weapon back to his side and with his other hand, proceeded to raise it as he instructed for Ashe to rise up.

On cue, there was a thunderous wave of applause and acclamations, specifically coming from his friends behind him.

Reignited by their outstanding ovations, Ashe reopened his eyes.

Upon locking eyes with Dimitri, Ashe couldn't help but produce the biggest of smiles. "Quite a mouthful, really," He expressed, laughing, "Ashe Duran is fine,"

Dimitri nodded his head, then reached out to place his hand on top of the young man's head. "Whatever name you prefer to be, just know that you'll always be welcomed in the Blue Lions,"

Ashe grinned, then snuck a glance at Byleth who rewarded him with her motherly smile and a positive thumbs up, boosting his spirits.

Whirling his heel around, Ashe watched as his friends advanced at his general direction and without thinking, did the same—tackling them on the ground, and despite the minor pain, each one of them laughed to their heart's content.

* * *

At long last, Ashe was finally at peace with himself.

And now, here he was—surrounded by the friends he's proud to call his family, and despite the many struggles and obstacles, he'd faced, in the end, that didn't seem to matter for him at all. Because after five-long-years, he finally found it—all along, it was right there in front of him, his place called home.

* * *

**And that's it! You finally made it!**  
**Thank you so much for everything!**

**Originally, the first scene you've read was the true ending, and yet for some reason, I felt like I needed to justify Claude's intentions and to allow you, readers, to properly bid goodbye to the Golden Deer one last time (and what would happen to them from then on).**

**I would also like to point out there is no straight shipping pairs here in the fanfic (despite the suggestive hints among the cast), and with Sylvain's proposal and Felix's crush is purely up to the reader to interpret for themselves - at the same time, this was my way of incorporating the suggested S-rank bonding which we are only allowed to receive in the war phase, five years later.**

**Now that I'm finally finished, I can rest for a bit!**

**If you'd like, feel free to browse the rest of my other fanfics if you're interested (I highly recommend Father and Son), or if not, be sure to keep an eye out for me as I'm still in the spirits to write something fire emblem-related, especially once the game drops!**

**I would like to once again give one last shoutout for the ones who inspired me to write this fanfic for the first time:**

**letters-from-the-three-houses**  
**bae-leth**  
**withlove-so**

**The three mentioned above are from tumblr and as always, I would like to sincerely thank them for inspiring me once again for the many headcanons of Ashe and the interactions among the Blue Lions. I**

**n addition to this, I would also like to express my gratitude for the author-WillowBlueJay17 for 'Since Sticks were Swords' one more time for their lovely, insightful comments and for being such a great Blue Lion supporter!**

**Last but not least, I would like to thank the passionate fans within the growing fire emblem three houses community!**  
**Without you all, I wouldn't have written this masterpiece!**  
**So please, give yourself a pat on the back!**

**Thank you for the current 34 kudos and the comments! And if you'd like, feel free to leave any kudos/comments if you'd like!**

**Hope to see you guys soon!**  
**And as always, have a wonderful day!**


End file.
